Day & Night/A Field Guide
A paradox about me is that I enjoy both mornings and nights; mornings bring out the cool and calm energy, while nights bring out expressive and intense energy. I’ve been going on walks throughout this semester both during the morning and the night. It has been interesting to compare what each time of day brings to a walker. Similarities would include things such as few people, stillness, quieter, and it being easy to “get lost”. Differences include mind races more at night, different energies, safety, lighting, and how you interpret different items. After I spent the last few weeks watching as people left for their day, I saw how, “their story begins on ground level, with footsteps” (De Certeau 97). Walking can bring out tons of new ideas in a person’s brain that they never knew were there. One of them isn’t better than the other and is completely up to oneself to decide what they like more. What are different factors that go into these walks when you leave and after the walk as well?
The auras associated with both morning and night feel very different. Morning time is one to wake up and get going. Get the day started, usually pretty safe and harmless as you watch the sun appear from the sky. Night time is a little different because it’s not looked at as very safe. Not the safest people outside as it gets darker and harder to see your surroundings. When trying to think about that it is really hard for me because I am a straight white male. The “tactics” one has to use when going out at night seem completely foreign to me and would never even cross my mind. When I go out for a walk at night I mostly feel safe, feeling as though nothing will happen to me even when I’m alone. In the morning I feel the exact same way even though I’m very out of it most of the time. The social factors also change completely when you go out at night versus early in the morning. One is not supposed to make conversation at night, walk a certain way, dress a certain way, be loud, or make himself noticeable. While in the morning all of these things are acceptable. A poem by John Gay goes;
Though you through cleanlier allies wind by day,
To shun the hurries of the publick way,
Yet ne’er to those dark paths by night retire;
Mind only safety, and contemn the mire (Solnit 7).
Everything seems nicer in the daytime. Cars and people pass by as the sun starts to fade away and everything else goes with it. Streets now become unwalkable, alleys become dirtier, everything has a totally different aura to it. The social factors are very weird to observe when you break them down. Is an early morning walk that much safer? The entire city is just waking up, hazy outside, harmful people are always out, and the safety factors within a person’s mind all disappear. It is brighter outside, but are there more people? Are people more willing to step in when they have just woken up and not able to properly function? I’m not saying one is more safe than the other but it is interesting to at least compare the two more closely than one normally does.
Morning walks are always very refreshing. You get up early and walk outside to smell the fresh crisp air. It sort of jolts you awake as you hear the sounds of trains, buses, and cars passing by. People walk to work with their morning coffee; everything just feels peaceful and simple. The morning walks I have been on are always very peaceful. Everything seems very still and there is a lightness to the air. I always feel a little out of it in the mornings but going on a morning walk I can feel myself start to not only wake up but get excited for what’s about to come. My mind tends to wander off in distant thoughts about my life. My family, friends, school, weekend, home, and anything that is important. The thing about morning walks is that everyone seems to have a destination during that time. Whether it is work or school, people are stressing and worried about the next upcoming thing. To look at morning walks as something different is very refreshing. You can go out and just walk if you don’t have anywhere to be in the premature hours of the day. The coolness of the air feels soft on your skin, the sounds are softer, the buses don’t seem as annoying, and there is just a peacefulness to everything about it. The people seem more approachable for some reason even though most are cranky and upset they are up that early. The colors are also waking up it seems. They seem human and they have this dullness that appears as if they are waiting to change to their full color. All of this contributes to how one feels on a morning walk because people feel safer. The people, sounds, activity, all make a person feel included in something in the mornings that make morning walks one of a kind.
You’re out walking, streets are empty, the moon is out, and there is cool frost in the air. Walking at night can feel a little hectic or make one feel uneasy. You can’t see your surroundings well and there seems to just be a deep glare on you at all times. In fact, “two-thirds of American women are afraid to walk alone in their own neighborhoods at night, according to one poll” (Solnit 6). Everything seems as if it is coming towards you even though it’s probably just a harmless cat wandering around at night. There are so many different things that contribute to this aura of walking at night. When I go on these long walks during the night time, yes, I too, a straight young white male, experience some of these feelings. They don’t make one feel the best when out alone. But I have a little bit of a different perspective on nighttime walks. Never have I “lost myself” during these walks. It really just comes down to where you are walking I believe. I take my time when I’m going out at night to map out my adventure, just to make sure. When you surround yourself with places that make you feel comfortable or at ease at night there isn’t anything much better than walking at night. You can technically see less things, but you get to observe more. Everything that you can now barely see seems lost or hidden. Then your brain pops into action and builds these little stories of what that might be. The creativity that the darkness incites is really what contributes to night time walks being my favorite. This idea of just “getting lost” without even knowing it.
Walks are a strange phenomenon. They can bring deep sorrow, pure joy, hatred, anguish, happiness, relaxation, or fear. It really is something to marvel at and walking is one of the best things I believe anyone can incorporate into their life. Whether it is morning or night I believe the most important thing is feeling safe when you do so. To truly enjoy the walk and “lose yourself” one must be in harmony with their surroundings. There is no right answer to whether one is better than the other and it all comes down to one’s preference.
