Coming Out: Yes, I’m a proud nocturnal!
A rant-ish of a fellow night owl
“Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.”
This has been hammered into our heads since forever. We have been made to sing, memorize and recite this like a prayer to the Sun.
The world of sunshine has always resented the nocturnals. And if you take a step back, this world ends up out-casting everything that it doesn’t fully understand. The darkness of night used to be scary with danger lurking everywhere.
But today, those primary survival instincts don’t govern us. I often go for a stroll to bask in the moonlit night sky. I wonder at the world around and beyond me. The magnificent night sky is my window to the world that lies beyond. I can look at things which are billions of miles away. Moreover, the world around me looks so different. Even the mundane streets become interesting as the light from a lamp spills everywhere.
Haven’t you ever sat down and just watched the moon flirting with the clouds? Or tried to hear the quiet of the night? It speaks so much. It’s so calming and soothing. The rhythmic whistling of the winds and the moonlit silver reflections! And amidst this silence, I feel at ease. With no distractions, I feel like myself. Even my dog is asleep and not nudging me, with her puppy eyes, to play.
Night gives me a surge of energy and I get my best work done. With an unmistakable clarity, I find myself more creative and intuitive.
It’s difficult for these morning people to understand this. The number of times I’ve been lectured on the importance of waking up at 5 am, is probably as many as the stars in my beloved night sky.
Mom, Dad and dear distant relative, listen up! I tried! I tried fixing up alarms and waking up early. And I was miserable! And I’m sure if I had asked a morning person to stay up late with me, they would be in pretty bad shape as well. But I’d like to believe that I’ve never asked anyone to change their lifestyle and become someone they are not!
Honestly, I envy these morning birds because almost the entire world works around their schedule. It’s us who have to figure out and go out of our ways to work with the rest of you.
I’ve now concluded that it’s okay to go against the “force of nature.” There are leaders, CEOs and other pretty successful people out there who stand with me in this band of night owls. Sure, there are some benefits of being an early bird but there could be even more of being a night owl. There are studies that show that night owls are more creative and intelligent.
I’m not implying that the early birds are uninteresting dumb humans. I wouldn’t mind being a morning person. I might even end up loving it. After all, it would be easier to be societally correct, right? But being a nocturnal comes naturally to me.
This is why, I’ve embraced my nocturnal side and I’ve discovered the beauty of night. These days, as I roam the city streets at night, I try capturing the beauty with NoctaCam. I confess that a part of the reason is to show the world what it’s missing out.
My fellow night owls! You’re perfect just the way you are. Don’t let anyone tell you any different. Go out and explore the dark.
