Into the Darkness
I remember reading stories of pioneers who would find themselves returning to their family after traveling all day, coming home after darkness had fallen. The weary traveller had reached the limit of their endurance completely surrounded by darkness. Often they were burdened by needed supplies. The longer the person trudged along, the harder the person strained their eyes, searching for the light that was always left burning in the cabin window by fellow family members. It was a lighthouse that drew the sailor into a safe port. It was like a beacon that brightly welcomed the traveller home.
When our church group camped at the Great Sand Dunes of Colorado there was no light from any nearby city or town. The darkness was black velvet with stars seemingly so close we could knock them down with a stick. We were not able to enjoy its beauty for long before we were beset by a tremendous storm accompanied by a fabulous display of lightning so close and bright I was sure the bottom of the tents would tingle.
An incident that happened last night; it got me thinking of how welcome a light can be. Being more frugal than ever, I’ve recently been turning off some of my night lights scattered throughout my house. During the daylight hours I’ve been turning them off; wasteful to allow them to burn energy that I have to pay for. It’s especially necessary for me when I am going to be away for several hours.
Yesterday I shut off my living room light and forgot to turn it back on before going upstairs. The low wattage light illuminates my stairs well enough that I am not travelling in darkness. Last evening I had to slowly edge my way down the stairs. It was a path I’d traversed thousands of times before, but not in the dark. Needless to say the stair rail became my best friend. Each step was a step into the unknown.
I sometimes put things on the stairs so that I am reminded to carry them upstairs with me. Being forgetful, I was unsure if I’d left anything on the steps and timidly probed with my barefoot before placing my weight on the next step. It was that dark.
I usually leave a kitchen light on, a living room light, and my office light on. I also keep a low wattage light on in my bedroom since I whacked my shins on the bottom of my bedframe. I also keep a “dollar store” night light in my bathroom. As I age, I find that my night vision needs all the help it can get.