Sunrise, Sunset

For over a week now, I've gone to bed early.  Even as a child, I loved going to my room.  Finding that quiet space within.  Sleeping on fresh linens.  Feeling total comfort. Lots of pillows.  A nest.

Now I go to sleep early because I am just too tired to stay up any longer.  I enjoy following the light.  Rising in the sunshine, retiring in the darkness of the night.  It resonates deeply within me. It always has. 

Melatonin, the neurotransmitter responsible for sleep, lessens with age.  There isn't a way to check its levels so far, so I take the leap that my melatonin levels are decreasing.  I don't fight it, I surrender to it.  Just the other night, I was supposed to go to a party with a group of friends.  Come one o'clock, I texted a friend saying I may not make it until six o'clock.  By four o'clock, a second message was received that I was already in my jammies.  I didn't mind one bit missing the gathering.  There will be others.

I have done that a few times in the past week - missed gatherings with friends.  When one friend invited me out for a drink, the friend suggested 'immediately after work."  My friend knew me well.  It was a fun evening.  Lots of memories, sharings, good times.

Sitting in my studio, the sun is fading.  Cloud cover is abundant.  Trees sway as the winds pick up.  The sky is at once a contradiction depending upon which window I look out.

Lately, I am using a cervical neck pillow and it seems to be working.  But tonight, with the arctic temps, it should be one big

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ