Dark

It is a common joke within my family that I do not like the dark. When hiking the Long Trail, we strove to fall asleep before night surrounded us and then woke with the light. At our old house, I would frequently run from the car with vivid imaginings of what might come down from the cliff. Bumps in the night made me pull the covers over my head and strain my ears. I realize that I am supposed to be grown up, but everyone has their moments in the dark. If you think that you haven't, you're lying. There are always shadows around the corner and howls in the darkness.
I blame my fear on my brother; no matter how much he loves me now, he loved to torture me when we were little. Since he has 5 years on me, it was all mental instead of the usual wedgies. One of my least favorite moments in life followed a movie we had watched together. The movie had snipers in it, so of course Sam decided to take advantage of this. He told me to be careful at night and watch out for little red dots, for of course that means a sniper is going to shoot me. Maybe I would have forgotten this if he hadn't gone outside my window that night and shined a laser pointer into my room. This, along with similar events, account for my fear of the dark.
Over the past month, I have had to face my fears. Every morning, I venture out into the dark with a headlamp. I cannot see the dogs with only the stars for light. Their eyes shine every time my headlamp swings in their direction. I can only hope that their barks will scare away anything that comes close. Once the training team heads out and the dogs settle down, silence descends. The early morning dark has become my new favorite thing. The sky lightens slowly, revealing the trees, rocks, and dogs. Everything is still and quiet. This is a friendly darkness, an expectation to a beautiful day. 

Training at dawn

My day ends with darkness in the dog yard as well. With the shortening days, dinner coincides with the sunset. This darkness is enveloping. The trees quickly disappear and the dogs howl to the moon as it becomes darker and darker. Yet, I am still not afraid. Instead of the menacing characters of my imagination, I have come to enjoy the quiet stillness. The dogs have calmed me and allayed any fears.

Eyes...so many eyes

 The dark is now a happy time, so I forgive you big brother. I understand you were only scaring me to make me appreciate the night at a later point in life.