Night Walking

 By Leslie Colin Tribble

This summer the GROG has written nudges and encouragements to our readers to see the world in a new way in order to spark creativity. We've suggested getting out in nature, learning new crafts, engaging in a new sport or activity, and sharpening your writing by trying haiku or cinquain poetry. All these are designed to shake up the ordinary, get you out of a rut and help you see the world in a new way. 

My take on this is to incorporate night walks into your life.

We are creatures of the day, of light. How often do you go out and truly experience the dark? What I want you to try is getting away from the house and car, away from the lights. Let the beauty of the night envelope and hold you (safely, of course!). 

Behind my house is a city park with a paved, 2 mile path around a couple of lakes. I know the path well, and it's level enough I don't have to worry about tripping over an unseen rock. On one side of the path is the lake and the other side an irrigation ditch - I know the dogs won't wander too far. Once I leaned into the darkness and the cold during winter, I found all sorts of beauty - surprise encounters with a raccoon, owls hooting from trees or silently winging ahead of us on the trail, and more stars and galaxies than I could count. My sense of hearing was heightened in the dark and quiet and I could actually hear the raccoon chortling to itself and the weird, mystical music of lake ice.

If you're nervous about being by yourself, take a headlamp and a buddy. But try to not talk nor use the light - just simply experience the different beauty and creativity of the dark.