Night

I am most acutely aware of what night means while camping, as the cool, damp night air creeps slowly into the underside of the tent rain fly, misty fingers curling gently up and under to our chilled faces as we sleep. Well, mostly. I wake often. Tossing and turning, unaccustomed to the stiffness of the air mattress that has tried in vain to give me the comforts of home.

Every twig snap, every rustle of leaves-a bear? A masked maniac in the woods? Certainly can't be that...the only crazy ones here are my family and me! I smell the slowly dying embers of campfires drizzled with accidentally dropped marshmallows-turned-mush. And I sigh. I roll over. I have to pee. There is no denying that slow, filling, pushing sensation in the bladder any longer. So I ninja my way out of my sleeping bag, the zipper carrying the force of a 120 decibel speaker stack of sound in the still night, punctuated only by the slow snores of my somehow sleeping kids and husband.

I make my way into the darkness. My eyes adjust slowly. I reach to turn on my flashlight, but then...oh then. I notice. The stars. The sky. Lit up like a billion fiery diamonds. There is no need, or desire, for a flashlight tonight. I stumble through the wet, sticky grass. It tugs at my ankles as I gaze up in awe. Constellations aren't this clearly drawn back home. I can almost see Pegasus' mane dancing wildly as he stampedes through the galaxy. There is no night quite like this.

I quickly do my business, nose burning  at the stench of overly used weekend pit toilet.  Rushing back through the cold air, I gaze up once again, this time seeing the mostly pale hint of light on the horizon. Not knowing for sure what time it is, I snuggle stealthily back into my sleeping quarters. I soon hear the gentle whispers of bird wings as they make their way to straggly branches overhead. Their songs begin tentatively, uncertain if the sun will actually shine again today. But they know they have to sing. It is just what they do. As they welcome the dawn with their cheerful sounds, my heart remembers how hope sings even when dawn's timing remains unknown...and my gentle smile beckons another new day.