Daylight

I put daylight as the second photo prompt of #MusWidNov2015 because we just “fell back.” With this change, if you’re a night owl like me, your chances to see any daylight are slim these days.

With this photo prompt, I’ve had the Rascal Flatts song, “Prayin’ For Daylight” in my head all day.

I’ve gotten better about it, but when I first got married and moved to Nashville, I found myself waiting for daylight to go to bed. All alone for days at a time, while my husband was out on the road touring, I found a level of safety to sunlight. I didn’t mind (much) the noises of our apartment complex, letting any hammering, mowing, or traffic lull me to sleep as soon as the first rays of sunlight streaked across the sky. I felt safer knowing there were others stirring in the area. I didn’t feel as vulnerable.

I’ve remained on night watch through the years. In every house we’ve lived, I’ve learned the neighborhood’s patterns. I became the unknown security watch, peeking out my windows any time I heard something that seemed out of place. I felt this self-imposed responsibility to my neighbors to keep watch out for them, so they could sleep peacefully all night long.

Today, I’ve become more comfortable, I suppose. I love trying to get to before sunrise, letting the darkness of night wrap around me, and lull me to sleep.

Every day, though, I get up and go straight to the kitchen. Before I even make coffee, I open all the blinds and let the daylight stream in at me. Sunny days. Rainy days. Good days. Bad days. For the entire day, or for less than an hour. It doesn’t matter. I open the blinds and let the light stream in. Then I make coffee. Daylight + coffee is my formula for starting every day right.

Do you need sunshine for a good day? Or does it matter? Maybe you’re a rain lover and find joy in that? Tell me.

I remember being on a black-and-white set all day and then going out into daylight and being amazed by the color.

Jeff Bridges