The Northern Cardinal is singing a melody. Calm is the order of the evening. Moving forward to fall. A new black sweater for the occasion. Light to wear with cool weather before the cold. What shall we do and when shall we do it? There will be Holiday Shows to see. Reflections on the meaning of life while living it. The trees are golden as the sun sets.

A hidden world comes to life after the Sun goes down. Night people, night workers, night activities.  I spent much of my career working at night. Most custodial work is night work. No muss, no fuss, quiet work. Work that can be done while waiting and watching. Low-stress people bring stress with them. Fewer people, less stress. The cool contemplation of walking after dark is enjoyable. As winter follows fall, it becomes cold contemplation. Night workers do not encounter the elite of the land often. They are home asleep. Night workers do their work in their night community and follow their own doctrine.  Turn all the lights on to ensure no secrets are lurking. Heat a cold cup of coffee in the microwave. Wonder who the occupants of the offices are. Are they nice or not? Are academic folks really as smart as you have heard? Do you look as strange as some eating breakfast at 3:00 A. M:?

There is a different, separate culture at night. We have our own drummer. Our clocks are not your clocks. Our ways are not your ways. We understand the beauty of the night. The Phantom of the Opera has nothing on us.

Night is good for us introverts. We pick our social interactions. We have time to recharge our batteries. The push-pull of the day yields to the music of the night. Coffee is essential. As important as safety shoes and a hard hat. Mr. Sleep must not take over.

We Building Service folk knew our mission. We loved the University students. Fall Semester was exciting. We worked all summer to prepare for our student family to return. The terrazzo floor gleamed.  Many of our staff had degrees. They enjoyed the night, the calm, the purpose of being trusted to perform and produce an excellent product. We understood our mission was the recruitment and retention of our precious students. We never failed.