So Watcha Doin’ Tonight?

I was wide awake last night, all alone in my bedroom, snug under the covers (except for 2 dogs and a cat), listening to the rain thunder past at 8 o’clock in the evening, and I wondered …

How do you spend your evenings?

Everything I read says you shouldn’t go to bed and read your phone or iPad or computer. You’re supposed to go into your bed and SLEEP!

What’s up with that?

Climbing into bed early is a luxury most of us can’t afford. We work (or play) up to the very end and then flop in bed, exhausted, praying for sleep.

Not me.

I kinda enjoy climbing into the solitude of my bed, turning on some ambient  music (any flavor), and either reading or wandering through the Internet.

That’s when I get my best ideas. My most interesting explorations. Where I can find inspiration and strange experiences and weird tales and visit worlds I never will set foot in.

From the quiet confines of my room in the evening I can control my world. My wanderings. I can call the shots and cruise through the galaxy with my brave dogs and bossy cat without leaving the covers.

It’s no wonder I can’t fall asleep at night. I am the antithesis of everything that I’m supposed to do and be. I eat pizza for breakfast and look for dinosaurs in the woods when I walk with my grandson and make wishes on fairies blinking in the dark.

I kinda get tired of doing all the things I’m supposed to do. Tired of following the rules. Tired of being the good girl.

Of course, what better place to get fresh and sassy than under the safety of my covers wrapped in comforting music? Who am I going to threaten? Who am I going to boss around?

Since my husband’s been on the night shift, I have come to be a night person. Sort of. I love the dark blues of night, the sounds of frogs or crickets singing their songs or coyotes howling as they play in the distance. I love the mystery of the unknown which exists just outside my back deck. 

I doubt if I’ll ever explore all of that mystery outside my back yard — not at this age. But that doesn’t mean my mind can’t explore it. Besides. Thunderstorms provide such encouragement to exploration — coming and going!

So …

What’s your favorite way to spend an evening?

 

 

 

 

Creativity Starts in the Evening

Leonid Afremov

I always have the good intention of going to bed early and getting a good night’s sleep. It’s not until closer to midnight or 1 a.m. that I slip under the covers. I could say it’s bad habits, unhealthy sleep patterns, or old age. I’d probably be right on all three counts. 

But I find that as the evening progresses I find more and more things to read and research and update than during the daylight hours.

Unconsciously — or maybe consciously — I relegate the daylight for activities. Cleaning house. Grocery shopping. Weeding the garden. Visiting the grandkids. Even though I’m retired I feel like I should always be “doing” something during the day so I don’t turn into a slug.

But then evening comes.  Evening is my favorite time of the day. Every day.

TV has been a bust lately. Hubby’s not home three or four times a week. Dishes are done, laundry is folded. It’s magic time.

Of course, I don’t have a lot of energy going into the evening, but I push through anyway, and sure enough, a second wind comes along about 10 p.m. That doesn’t bode well for a long, good night’s sleep … but I can’t seem to resist.

I love reading other blogs. I love researching artists for my blog. I enjoy editing things I’ve written. I enjoy looking around for something to write about. I enjoy exploring other art galleries. And I love doing it in the peace and quiet of the evening. I look out the window, keeping an eye on a beautiful sunset, having an evening snack — what could be more productive?

I just should learn to be productive before  7 p.m. Not 11 p.m.

When is your most creative time of the day?