Walks at night, an exciting delight November 24 2012, 0 Comments

It started with my Mom; the walks at night thing. It was my brother Baird’s job to take out the garbage after dinner, but he was afraid to go out behind our garage where the trash cans lived. (We lived in a heavily wooded lot on Long Island with no street lights nearby. It was dark out there!) So my mom started taking Baird and me for walks at night to help him get used to the dark and realize there were no monsters lurking out back. (Rambunctious raccoons, yes; monsters, no.) For me, the little sister tag-along, it was kind of scary, but even more exciting and magical – so quiet, no one out on the streets, very few cars even.

The fondest memories I have of these walks were formed in the winter – especially when it had snowed the night before and was cold enough the next day to develop a nice, hard crust on top. On a clear, moonlit nights the snow sparkled in the dark! Plus, I was little so I could walk on top of the crust without breaking through. Not so for my brother and mom. Yay, small is good!

Those evening adventures tantalized all of my senses, making me feel brave and serene at the same time. I still feel that way today enjoying the quiet nights, the wind blowing clouds across the moon’s face, stars flickering, shivery, calm.

Thanks, Mom.