We don't consider how much the light bulb has changed our lives.
I spent this past summer living in a tent in the woods of NW Connecticut. Out of the city I quickly connected to our natural light cycle. The first thing to notice out of the city his how many stars there really are in the sky. The country sky seems endless in stars. (during the meteor shower we spent hours on a blanket in the field)
Every night I would head to my tent with out a light. (I left my light in my tent so I wouldn't loose it) On days that the moon was close to full kit took a minute for my eyes to adjust than I could easily find my way, On nights close to the new moon I would end having to use my sense of touch rather than sight to find my way. We would wake up around sunrise and go to bed soon after sunset. It was amazing to see the daylight get longer than shorter.
The first few nights back in Philly I had trouble sleeping. At night my room was filled with light from the street outside. I also found myself staying up later than I intended to. It is easy to loose track of time when able to flick a switch and create light.
This past week I have been sleeping outside in the Sukkah (a roofless temporary hut) for the Jewish holiday of Sukkot. I would head over shortly after sunset and read by the dim light of my head lamp. I would fall asleep much earlier than back in my room where I would get distracted by my computer or housemates. One of the first nights out in the Sukkah, I woke in the middle of the night startled that there someone was shinning a light in my face. It was the full moon, shinning down on me. Reminding me that even in the city the moon is still there.
The Jewish calendar connects us to the natural light cycles. On the new moon we welcome a new month. Sukkot and Passover fall on the full moon. Holidays start at sunset and end with the sight of three stars in the sky. We are all one people united by stars, sun and moon
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