Ah! It's 4 AM, I am writing again. I'm not sure if I am an insomniac or 
that I prefer the early solitude. I savor this time alone with the cats 
and the crickets. It is peaceful. But, it is a weekday and the traffic 
outside on I76 has started making the noise of the morning rush.

I prefer the sounds of crickets.

The night with its shadows is beautiful. It can be frightful too. 
Beautiful things are often frightening. Maybe I should say that they are 
awe-inspiring. Are the feelings of awe and fear kin? Either one 
overwhelms. They cause the heart to beat fast and the palms to sweat.

A bit full of myself this morning?

As I contrast the sounds of the morning, I find that both are comforting. 
Listening to the crickets in the night is hypnotic, and calming. The 
rhythms of the chirping reassures, life's cycles continue. When you hear 
the chirping stopped, the reassurance flies. The senses heighten. We 
wonder what is coming?

The crickets remind me of the larger patterns of life. They call to mind 
the passing of the seasons. We know those eternal cycles of nature that 
were here before us; will be here long after us. There will be crickets 
chirping in the night even a thousand years from now.

The morning traffic reminds me that I am still a human being. No, I'm not 
a ghost yet. And while I am not going out the door and joining in the wild 
dash to the office; I am still part of this river of human hyperactivity. 
When the highways are silent, it indicates that something tragic happened. 
We ponder what the future holds.

It would be nice that all the rush would calm down a little. And I think a 
few drivers should invest in new mufflers.

I hear my neighbors are up! The closing of a cabinet door in their kitchen 
is also reassuring. The weekday begins again.  The sound of the crickets 
fades into the morning's din. A bus rolls by the house. The humans are 
claiming the day.

The crickets will be back tonight.