While the World Sleeps

I have been spending many nights listening to the night sounds of my sleeping family. Sleep escapes me most nights. Tonight, I am blessed by the soothing sound of rain. This is a treat in Southern California and always welcome. I peer out the window and watch the rain wash away the grime of the day and am comforted in the thought that L.A. after the rain is simply, radiant. The mountains loom to the north, scrubbed clean as the cool sea breezes beckon from the west. No, there is nothing like Los Angeles after the rain. 

My new freedom has removed the desperate need for sleep. I normally yearn for sleep, so that I can have a productive day, free of fog and yawning. There is a sweetness in having time, time to nap, if need be. A time to push through the sleepy day, in search of the veil of darkness to rest, to slumber. Or, as in the case tonight, to listen to the night breathing of my loved ones, the rustle of their night covers, the sighs of their slumber.