Light is Life

We've all heard of circadian rhythm.

It's your body's internal clock that says, "Get your ass out of bed." But more precisely, it's the physical, mental, and behavioral changes an organism experiences over a 24-hour cycle. And most organisms on the planet have it. We evolved from single-celled beings that used the light to feed and the dark to rest. The only difference now is we humans have invented ways to keep our clocks ticking. (Or more precisely, ignore them.)

When the natural light falls behind the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, I like many others flip a switch and CLICK:

The day continues.

I can read. I can write. I can see where the F I'm going. It's seemingly great – more hours to get stuff done! But when we remember where we came from and what we're a part of (this natural world), we know that artificial light isn't in our nature. We're meant to rest in the dark.

That's why yesterday I decided to try a night of no lights in the house – no artificial lights that is. I would only use candles when I needed to see, and when the sun went down, that's what I did.

It wasn't long though before I realized how much of my nightly routine would need to change.

8:00 PM : I try to write in my notebook by candlelight, and I'm straining. I look up to give my eyes a break and see that the sun hasn't even set. The outside is 100 times lighter than my cave of a kitchen. So naturally, I go outside to finish writing. The weather is perfect so you hardly feel it, and besides a few mosquitos, it's lovely. Why did I not come out here in the first place?

8:30 PM : The sun sets and it's dark ... with no candles, it's almost pitch black. Luckily, I have a few but the light is still dim. I look at the food on the stove that needs to be put away and realize that the hard-set rule of "no artificial lights" isn't going to work for tonight. I momentarily turn on the lowest setting of the overhead stove light, put away the food, and turn it off. Strike one – whoops.

9:30 PM : It's DARK. I'm tired of trying to see by my small candle, so I concede and turn on one small lamp for a few minutes. Even though it's only been an hour or so without artificial light and the lamp is small, it feels like I turned on a stadium light. Woah.

(This is also the point in the night where I turn on the TV – the most light-emitting device I have – and watch a short documentary for 40 min. The TV is on the lowest light setting, but I still recognize it's a lot.)

10:30 PM : I get in bed with my small candle in tow, blowing it out before I forget. I can already tell my body is much more primed for sleep than normal. I relax easier and my eyes welcome the pitch-black blanket over them. With no crazy internal dialogue, I fall asleep.

While my experiment wasn't perfect, I recognize that life is all about doing the best with what we have in the moment. Be adaptable. Adjust when you need to. Planning and prepping can make things easier. And most of all – the light we receive from the sun is life. We should cherish the hours in the day when we have it.