Two-sided night

Nighttime in New York

Nighttime in the country

Nighttime. This week’s photo challenge theme.

An old cliché, as different as night and day, used to describe opposites comes to my mind. But I think night can be as different as…well… night.

In my book, two diverse kind of nights exist. You may experience nights full of blissful rest when you fall asleep quickly and don’t awaken until morning light. But then there are those other nights – those that occur when sleep is disturbed or is nonexistent caused by a crying baby or anxious thoughts or too much caffeine or simply insomnia.

Sometimes we eagerly embrace the night and sometimes we wearily dread it.

Nighttime is two-faced not just when it comes to our rest but also where we choose to spend the dark hours of our lives. Its difference seems most pronounced between city and country. Nights spent in the city are never completely dark (unless there’s a blackout) as brightly lit signs and traffic lights produce a glow no matter what time of night it may be. Those kind of nights can prove invigorating and no doubt whoever penned that old disco song with the lyrics, I love the nightlife, was writing about nighttime in the city.

Country nights provide quite a contrast. When evening draws nigh and the sun finally sinks beyond view, darkness – real darkness – descends. On a clear, cloudless evening, you gaze upwards and are greeted by a sky dotted with more shining stars than you can count. The only gleaming glow around may come just from a silvery moon casting its luminescence on earth or a brightly burning bonfire blazing in the back yard.

Regardless of whether your preference is illuminated by the incandescent city night or enveloped in the darkness of a country nighttime, you can always find something to remember, a nocturnal memory to add to the days of your lifetime.

“What I take from my nights, I add to my days.” ~ Leon de Rotrou