Two Sides of a Black Night

The workout room was really just the boiler room with some equipment, but it worked well enough. Of course, because it was in fact a boiler room, it was already sweltering hot before she even began. The more you sweat, the more you lose, right? She put her pink earbuds in, launched her Bollywood workout radio on her phone, and got started on her 4:30 am workout.

The workout only lasted 30 minutes, but it was grueling. The added heat in the room did not make things any easier, and she was pouring sweat by the time she finished. She shut off the yellow light and headed upstairs, headphones still in, music still going, being quiet so as not to wake the sleeping children. She gulped down a full 24 ounces of clear water and was still too hot to function. Outside I go. It may have been a chilly November morning, and she may have only been in a tank top and workout shorts, but she was going outside to cool off.

She stepped through the door and let the cool air wash over her. As she gazed upward, she realized this was the perfect opportunity to see the night sky in a way she never had before. The house was nestled in the mountains, surrounded by pine trees and far away from the light pollution that plagued the small town just a few miles south. She opened the door and reached inside to turn off the white porch lights, bathing herself in total darkness. She used the blue light from her phone screen to guide her off the porch and into the middle of the dirt driveway. When she turned off her phone, everything was black.

There is nothing more disconcerting that standing in the black of night with headphones blaring music in your ears. As her eyes adjusted, the remainder of her fives senses felt dulled. She couldn't hear anything beyond her music. Her skin was becoming chilled by her sweat cooling in the air. The air smelled and tasted of distant snow. Then, when she could see again, she looked up at the black sky.

Oh...wow...

There, right above her head, spread out as far as she could see, millions upon millions of glittering stars. It was as if someone had stretched a beautiful black gown across the heavens and bedazzled it with the finest sparkling glitter and diamonds. She stood entranced, lost in the beauty that only a black night could bring.

She shivered suddenly, a reaction not born of the cold. There was a long break in her music and she was pulled back to reality. There she was, standing on a dark wooded mountain, smelling of sweat, without the ability to see or hear. Now, the blackness wasn't beautiful and inviting... it was terrifying. Bears. Mountain lions. Coyotes. Yeah...no.

She ripped her headphones out her ears and ran to the porch, racing for the front door as if the black night was death itself chasing her. She pushed through the door, closing it quickly (but gently, sleeping children remember) and locked it. She leaned against the door, breathing heavily and took in the warm yellow glow of the kitchen lights. When her heart beat finally settled, she had to laugh a little at herself. Overreact much? As she went about the rest of her morning, the black faded to hazy blue, and the glitter in the sky became a distant memory for another day.

People will do anything for a little sparkle in their lives. Even if it means facing the darkness.