The Night Owl

I'm a night owl. There's no ifs, ands, or buts about it. I am. I think I always have been. My parents never had trouble getting my brother to bed, he'd just fall asleep wherever he was if he was tired. Oh, but not me. I have early memories of sneaking out of bed and hiding in the hallway to watch tv while my parents watched, thinking we were fast asleep. Ha! Of course, I almost always got caught! lol When I was a teenager, I would lay awake in bed for hours just thinking. I have no idea now what I ever thought about for so long, but I would eventually hear my parents open my door to check on me, when I promptly pretended to be asleep, then heard them go down the hall, turn off the light, and shut their door. The house was quiet, dark, and with my vivid imagination, a little scary, but it was peaceful. We didn't have a/c, so I would lay awake and just listen to the crickets. When I was a young bride, I would crawl out of bed after Nicky fell asleep and sit by the open window and just watch outside. I'd see cats prowling around, shooting stars, the wind blowing through the trees, and people walking their dogs one last time. It is so peaceful at nighttime.

So, why tell you this? Well, here it is, 11:48pm, and I've had my shower and am in my pj's and sitting here writing to you. My body says I'm tired, but my mind says I'm not. Of course, once I hit the pillow, I'm out like a light. No more long hours of thinking for me. I'm too old and tired, I guess, but I barely utter "good night" to Nicky before I'm asleep. It amazes me. But, I digress. What I really wanted to say with all this is: I love knowing my family is all tucked in and sleeping peacefully under one roof, before I go to bed. My mom used to say how much she loved (when we would visit her, along with my brother and SIL and their kids) having all her kids under one roof. I think I understood, but couldn't feel it. Somehow, now I do. I'm almost always the last one to bed and as I head to bed, I check all the doors and lights, then check all the kids. It's all so peaceful, seeing them sleeping and knowing they're all here, home again. I remind myself that in just a few short years, things will be different. They'll be gone and the times I have all my kids home again, will be few and far between, so I cherish the moments each and every night. I hope you do, too.
Good night. :-)