This nocturnal sky-watching caused me to be slow at most everything today. My poor adorable Torts section had to listen to two personal stories before I could rev up the engine and get enthusiastic about the topic at hand. (They are sworn to secrecy on one of the stories. Don’t tell! Don’t tell!)
Luckily, someone brought chocolate cookies to class. (We have a blogger with a camera in her cell and she has been capturing our class food moments.) Honestly, have I commented before about the utter saintliness of this group?
I’m getting off topic. I wanted to simply post this one nagging thought that I had today: do we know of anyone who has ever resolved any complicated issue between the hours of 3 and 6 a.m.? Invented anything? Composed great music? Painted something credible? Written anything wise? Said something wonderful?
I was driving this afternoon along Regent Street. I needed to turn left onto Park Street. It was 3:30p.m. There is a sign there that says “no left turns between 3 and 6p.m.” Inevitably there will be a car waiting to turn during those hours anyway. As if they didn’t get it. No left turns, you jackass! There’s a reason for that sign! Move on, you fool!
I think there should be a sign in our brains that says “no great thoughts between 3 and 6a.m.” And, unlike the Regent Street sign, this one should not be ignored.
As an undergrad, I had more than a few all night writing projects, tending to involve a late-night nap (say, from 1-2am) and a trip to the 24-hour restaurant down the street, for pie or cheese fries. I managed to do some pretty good writing, but that's not what was memorable about those nights. It's that quality of light in the hour before dawn, when the world is dim and hushed and expectant. Great memories to have--but I have to say, I really enjoy the experience of sleeping through those hours. (In fact, this is already getting past my bedtime.)
ReplyDeleteIt is the quality of light then -- you are so right, miss bess.
ReplyDeleteSaul: just for my own sanity, I would not reveal or discuss publicly any writing project until it was at least 50% completed. Not there yet, not by a long shot.
These are the blue hours, dubbed for me by Sylvia Plath.
ReplyDeleteI love that time; all BEFORE and blue to pink, if we're lucky.