Walk at Night

“I have been one acquainted with the night,” wrote Robert Frost. I want to say, “Me too, Mr. Frost, but not acquainted as much as I would like.” I once saw the night sky on a regular basis—when I was a Boy Scout on campouts, when I lived on a ranch in Wyoming in my early 20s and when, a few years later, we made our home on the rim of Palo Duro Canyon.

But that was long ago. More than 40 years.

“If the stars should appear but one night every thousand years, how man would marvel and stare,” wrote Emerson. I get what the poet is saying. Light pollution was minimal in Wyoming, and (I know it’s a cliché) I felt like I could reach out and touch them. I sensed their majesty and was overwhelmed at the work of a Master Designer.

I thought about the Wyoming skies when I researched walking at night. Neil Paulvin is a New York-based longevity and regenerative medicine doctor. He said that walking before bed may help you fall asleep faster and may even improve sleep quality and sleep efficiency. There’s more to the science, but, as I write this, I’m not thinking about science.

I’m thinking of a boy who once looked at the stars and marveled. And I’m guessing he just might want to do that again.

*Book Update: Most of my material is off to the designers, but I’m not completely sold on the title. Here are my choices so far. Which one(s) do you like?

Sample book titles

A—Walking through Retirement: How to squeeze all the joy from each

B—Walking through Retirement: How joy in the first brings joy to the second

C—Walking through Retirement: How to find joy in each

D—Walking through Retirement: How I found joy in each

E—Walking through Retirement: Do it for exercise; do it for fun!