We have a new neighbor.
He’s developing a piece of land across the street from us.
One of the first things he did was put up a big fence around the perimeter of his property.
One of the things that he did shortly after that was put up a security light.
It’s a big light on a big pole that turns itself on when the sun starts to go down.
We live out in the country. There aren’t any street lights on our road. When it was dark, when it was night time….it was really dark. You couldn’t see your hand in front of your face. You walked in faith when you went anywhere without a flashlight.
The only time you could really see was when the moon was full.
Then your walking figure threw a shadow on the trail ahead.
Now you have a shadow at night no matter what time of month it is.
Night is different now.
I don’t really understand what the benefit is of having a light like that fellow put up. He comes up from South Carolina every so often…but usually it’s during the day, so he really doesn’t need the light then.
I guess it’s just a comfort factor for him. It must give him a sense of peace to know that his recent possession is never covered up with darkness. It must make him feel safe to know that the place he visits weekly is all lit up when he’s not there.
But for me, it changes my world in a dramatic way.
There is something good about knowing that night-time is dark.
When the sun goes down, it’s supposed to be dark.
Unless someone has a security light, it is dark.
Our other neighbor had a security light that he let burn all night, too. We had our bedroom on the side of the house facing his light, and it was a real trick to keep his light from shining in our window and keeping us awake.
I think that his bedroom was on the other side of his house…so the light wasn’t that kind of issue for him.
It’s hard to figure people out. Everyone has a different idea of what’s going to make their lives better.
Put the bed up, put the bed down, light up the night so you don’t have to worry about the darkness…do whatever it takes, and if it intrudes on someone else’s space…well, it’s just collateral damage.
Like our favorite character on a weird reality show about kids surviving in a fake frontier town used to say, “Deal with it”.…seems to be the attitude that a lot of people approach their lives with.
Like some dog marking his turf, ringing his personal space with dog pee so that the other dogs know what the score is…soiling his home so he can feel the comfort of a claim well staked, until there is no mistaking that this smelly pile of s… is unmistakably his.
That kind of attitude really stinks.
Here’s an old funk song to take it to the bridge.
Let the darkness be dark.