N is for ...............Night

Before deciding that I would choose Night for N, I was reading words beginning with N in the Scrabble dictionary and what fun it was coming across words like nudzh (another word for nudge) and nis (friendly goblin).  I did think of 'niggling'; the very sound of the word seems to convey the meaning of 'niggling doubt', 'niggling worry'--like a sheet you pull flat and iron out, but with a tiny bump.  But I finally went for night.
I love the night time and walking outside in the dark, when the weather is fine.  Somehow boundaries seem to dissolve and I feel I sort of dissolve into my surroundings.  I feel closest to my Maker then.  Clear moonlit nights are an absolute delight.  But then clear dark December nights, when the stars seem so near and clear, are beautiful too.  At this time of the year, with the monsoon just beginning, there are plenty of fireflies and the frog chorus is loud and varied.
 I love to watch the silhouette of the big fruit bats flying overhead, see the occasional owl, alight on a branch near me, hear the crickets call.  Here, in Kerala, there are snakes--after all it is the tropics.  But usually I have a dog with me, somewhere around and I take care not to walk at the edge of the road.
Sometimes, just sitting in the dark, doing nothing, is very soothing.
We need the night to rest our eyes and our bodies, and for our minds to process the day's events.
I love the night.

Almost night