The After Midnight Cycle
Setting the mood…
I go out walkin’ after midnight
Out in the moonlight
Just like we used to do, I’m always walkin’
After midnight, searchin’ for you…
Songwriters: Alan Block / Alan W. Block / Don Hecht
Walkin’ After Midnight lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
(The following entries for midnight through 2 a.m. were in fact written at the times indicated.)
Midnight - Open Book
An open book lies patiently.
With a beautifully illustrated cover and an enticing introduction, it waits knowingly.
The first chapter is welcoming and sets a light-hearted tone, but the plot moves at a measured pace and presents many questions.
What’s this? Pages apparently written in invisible ink, transformed by forgotten alchemy seeking old formulae.
Further in, pages torn out.
But not missing. They are sealed in a vault and a safe within another vault. The safe is only partially obscured, not particularly caring whether its whereabouts are known or not, because it is secure in its awareness that it is locked. Capable of being opened, but fastened just the same.
Where is the key? Is there but one key, or are there more?
The owner of the safe is the holder of the book and the keeper of the key. Yet, the keeper is now unsure, for there may be other keys. Floating.
Who can find a key? Who will approach the safe?
The possibilities are limitless.
This morning, a friend texted me the following meme, coincidentally, not having seen my Open Book post:
1am
(After writing Open Book, I half fell asleep, but then I woke up again and turned on the light by my bed. Here is what I wrote at 1 a.m.)
And the words tumble down the Tuolumne recklessly, defying the whitewater, heedless of the partially submerged branches and rocks. No quiet bend or languid pool is sought. The rapids mosh tirelessly beyond the foreseeable horizon, and I am the fearless explorer approaching the castle…
2am
(I drifted off again, and as before I tossed and turned, and the words kept popping into my head, and I continued writing...)
At the gates of the castle
You peer from the arrow loops and crenels of your citadel carefully constructed with ashlar of basalt, so cautiously guarding the gates and bastions.
Who are the sappers who venture near the murder holes? How do you distinguish the conscripts from the chevalier in the obsidian eventide? Are you waiting for one true champion to surmount the parapets and storm the keep? You lower the drawbridge and allow them to enter one at a time.
Spring forth from the inner ward, knock down the battlements, leap the moat, and delve into the meadows beyond.
Not every man-at-arms is a follower, and not every captain is a leader. Sometimes a humble bowman is found to possess the keen eye of a sniper, and his aim is true.
You can lay with and hope it advances fervor and ecstasy. Or, you can live passionately, be the arrow and the flame. Then love, making love, being love will follow.
Outside the fortress…
3am
I can do no more justice to the ambiance of 3 a.m. than the lyrics written by Bryan Yale and Rob Thomas:
She said it’s cold outside and she hands me my raincoat
She’s always worried about things like that
She said it’s all gonna end and it might as well be my fault
And she only sleeps when it’s raining
And she screams and her voice is strained
And
She says baby
It’s 3 am I must be lonely
When she says baby
Well I can’t help but be scared of it all sometimes
The rain’s gonna wash away I believe it
She’s got a little bit of something, God it’s better than nothing
And in her color portrait world she believes that she’s got it all
She swears the moon don’t hang quite as high as it used to
And she only sleeps when it’s raining
And she screams and her voice is strained…
She believes that life is made up of all that you’re used to
And the clock on the wall has been stuck at three for days, and days
She thinks that happiness is a mat that sits on her doorway
But outside it’s stopped raining
4am - Be with It
I woke up around 4 a.m. last night and looked at the clock, rolled over and tried to fall back asleep. I don’t recall having had any kind of bad dream, but I felt a bit of anxiety. My thoughts turned in an instant toward a friend I was worried about and whether I had done my best to give love and support. At that point I knew I was in jeopardy of feeling down about myself, but it was the middle of the night, when I know my mind can play tricks on me. Yet, I also realized I needed to acknowledge my self-doubts and worries, not pretend they didn’t exist. All of these things happened in the flick of a cat’s whisker. I breathed in and out to settle my brain. Clear as a bell, my inner voice spoke to me: “I’ll be OK. Be with it.” And I drifted back off to sleep…
5am - Pure of Heart
I feel Pure of Heart. To me this means giving unconditional love for the people in my life, my friends and family. I want them to feel fulfilled, successful and happy regardless of whether I benefit from their victories or not, and I empathize with them when they struggle. It means I shed my expectations of anything they might do and instead live in the moment and share their paths when possible and when meant to be. I love them and expect nothing in return. Yet, I am constantly filled with joy and amazement when my loved ones find ways to express their affection and support and make themselves available. My heart connects with other hearts in a constant cycle of energy, freely giving and accepting…
6am - How I Start My Day
When I wake up in the morning and am ready to start my day (as opposed to waking up but rolling over to get more sleep), I take these actions:
- Ab crunches and breathing exercises
- Drink water
- Set an intention
- Eat breakfast
- Look for inspiration
- Share inspiration
- Smile
I cannot say I do each and every one of them every day, but I try, and I rarely fail to get off to a good start when I do them, or most of them. Since I started applying these activities a few years ago, I have felt much healthier and happier. More detail…
- Ab crunches, while still lying in bed. There is no curling of the neck or back involved; these are relatively light crunches whereby I lift my shoulder blades off the bed. Typically I do 5-10 individual crunches followed by 3-4 repetitions of “ab holds” — zippering up the abs, lifting the shoulders, and holding for 10 inhales/exhales. The breathing is extremely important and beneficial. I have found that the breathing alone helps me to “clear the cobwebs” more quickly and to feel awake without needing to use caffeine. Maxine, my yoga instructor, gave me the idea to do the ab work first thing. It really works!
- Drink water. You have heard this over and over. Many doctors, bloggers, and random advice-givers spout the benefits of hydrating, and hydrating early and often. All I am saying is that I have been doing this very consistently for years, and I have had virtually zero health problems ever since.
- Set an intention. I don’t always consciously do this, and it’s the activity I have added most recently to my repertoire, but I am re-doubling my efforts to make it a habit. On mornings when I do yoga, I benefit from my instructor’s reminder to set an intention. This morning, for example, my message to myself (knowing I had a potentially stressful day ahead of me at the office) was to “Stay calm, and breathe.” I admit I failed at times, but here I am near the end of the day, in one piece, still kicking, and with the peace of mind and strength to write this blog.
- Eat breakfast. Number one, people who know me know that I am always hungry and rarely miss a meal, so this is practically a given. Number two, it’s obviously nothing new, as far as health tips go. What I will add is that I specifically focus on grains with fiber and fresh fruit, and I nearly always have tons of energy. I alternate: raisin bran or shredded wheat with fresh fruit one day, oatmeal (not instant), usually with bananas and often with dark chocolate (yum) the next. If I am super hungry, I also eat some eggs. Especially on mornings when I intend to do a long run, hike, or bike ride, etc., oatmeal is my “go to” breakfast, and I never “bonk” anymore.
- Look for inspiration. Love it, hate it, or in between, Facebook is a useful source of positive messages for me as I eat my breakfast — not in and of itself as a social media platform, but because the news feed shows me links to many wonderful, inspirational pages and blogs. Without fail, I can always find something thought-provoking and uplifting that motivates me to attack the day. For example, one recent day I saw a re-run of this short but effective motto: “Wake up. Kick ass. Be kind. Repeat.” Yes! Words I can live by.
- Share inspiration. This is the key, the activity that truly makes me happy, because it makes me look outside of myself and my own little world and think about others and how I can spread cheer and love and perhaps help them get off to a good start as well. I borrow one of my favorite motivational thoughts, perhaps something I saw the day before or just found this morning, and share it over Facebook or email it to a specific person — someone who I think can use a smile. Which brings me to another wonderful way to start the day…
- Smile. Step outside and smile at everyone you meet! Walk confidently and happily, and project positive energy.
When I do these things, I usually receive an amazing amount of positive energy in return!
