My Favorite Time

It is the quiet time. Dinner has been eaten, dishes have been done, papers have been graded.

There's a lull in the activity of day to day life.

In a season where the temperatures are regularly above freezing, we might use this time to take a walk, go for a bike ride, or simply open the windows and read a little by the sunlight streaming through the windows. This season, the cold season, the walks are fewer. There is no sunlight any longer at this time of day, but most often during this time, lights are turned on and books are read.

Bedtime is near, with all the chores that come along with turning in for the night. The tooth brushing, the lunch making, the shutting down of all appliances, the locking of the doors and windows, the undressing, and sliding into cold sheets - these will come all too soon. But for now, at this time, there is no pressure.

Do not think of the work you have left undone that needs to get done first thing tomorrow. Do not think about the imminent winter storm. Do not think about the cards that need to get in the mail, the bills that need to be paid, or the oil change that is a thousand miles overdue. Instead, this time is for you. To listen to the quiet, to faithfully read that book that has forever changed your life, to be by yourself with your own thoughts for just these few moments.

This quiet time is my favorite time.