For Night Owls, the Day Starts with a Nocturnal Morning

Read and listen to part three of ON MORNINGS, a nonfiction writing & podcast series

For some of us, the morning happens at night. Whether it’s from working the night shift or just being a night owl, these nocturnal mornings are more common than you might think. Truly, they’re not just for vampires.

A nocturnal morning can be a temporary affliction — a midnight inspiration, a late-night love affair. Or it can be the habit of countless days, a routine kept for months or years, working nights or fighting demons.

Here are seven true stories from people all over the world who experience a nocturnal morning. No two are the same. — From the Editor, Evyn Williams

I.

Babies choose to come at all hours. When I was newly pregnant myself and wracked by nausea and fatigue, I served as the midwife for a woman labouring at home with her fourth baby. As she laboured through the night, I used the breaks between contractions to gain control of my own discomfort. I would kneel down and press my burning cheek to the tiles of the bathroom floor…