I see the light?

That’s 10 at night. And I didn’t play any tricks with the clock. It really stays light for that long. I think it’s because the two hour time difference overcompensates for the speed of the Earth’s rotation or something. Don’t look at me, I’m no scientist. But it creates an interesting paradox.

See, I don’t have much of a social life in Montana. Don’t be sad. Going out at night was never something I really really loved doing. I just did it because it was something to do. But because I don’t have a night life, I like to go to bed early and take advantage of things I can do during the daylight. Unfortunately, that often means trying to fall asleep while the residual light still shines.

The interesting thing about being here is that a lot of what I can do in an hour or two would be a day’s activity from Boston or Albany. Like this morning I went on a hike up a small mountain/large hill and was back by 10 a.m. -- 9:37 to be exact.

Sometimes in Boston I would feel like I wasn’t doing enough to take advantage of my surroundings. I would blame myself for sitting around, even if I was doing work. Here, it’s easy to take advantage of my surroundings. And if I can be done with a significant hike before my morning coffee, it’s easy to feel like I did something with my day, even if I spent most of the day writing and reporting from my desk.

Heck, even the commute to the office feels like an activity. The road cuts through the mountains and offers some of the most intense scenery I have ever witnessed.

It’s easier to feel calm when you don’t have the pressure of trying to take advantage of the place you are living in. Simply living here is taking advantage. However, that also makes me feel like I’m out of “it.” There is nothing to be missed, except maybe a star or two. It’s a satisfying yet unsettling sensation.

I guess I’ll quit worrying and get to bed. It’s almost 10, and the sun is yet to set behind the hill.

Comments welcome,

Andrew