silentcorner

As I was driving through Chicago on my way home from the suburbs after a detour stop at the datacenter (best time to stop to do little chores at the datacenter is middle of the night when there’s no traffic), I was reminded how much the middle of the night is my favorite time of day, especially in the big city. During the day, I’m just another rat, in the rat race of life… working on this and that, rushing to get here and there, and dealing with the noise of people, traffic, trains, and businesses all around me.

The night is different. While the majority of people are at home in bed, walking around the big empty city is empowering. There are no deadlines in the middle of the night. No one is asking for something from me (even the homeless are usually asleep). No traffic jams I have to crawl through. No crowds of people to walk around. No place to be anytime soon. And no flood of noise to try to drown out. Just me, the streets, the occasional newspaper trucks doing their morning deliveries, and the world dressed in grey. It’s a time when I can let the stress of the day fade away. It’s such a beautiful feeling, one I wish I could experience every single night… if only sleep were not such an important part of life.