I really do love my bed. It’s something I retire into every night, when I am tired. It’s a place where I dream, where I think, where I pray, and most importantly, where I sleep. I spend a huge portion of my life in my bed.

So every night, after I tuck myself in, and turn off all the lights, I just stare at the ceiling, thinking about random things, eventually falling into a stupor. I really like it when it rains outside, because the pitter-patter on the sidewalk is one of my favorite sounds.

What I really like doing though, and one I usually won’t admit to my parents, is something maybe a little bit bad, depending on your definition of “rest”.

When all the lights downstairs turn off, I grab one of my larger pillows and put it on top of my desk. My desk is mashed against the wall underneath my window.

I put my pillow on the table, push everything out of the way, and climb on top of my desk and lay there. It’s strange, me wanting to lay somewhere so uncomfortable as a desk, but it’s actually comfortable when I put a pillow there.

Usually, I only lay on my desk so I can open my window a few inches, and stick my nose there. That way, I can breathe crisp, cool air that calms my mind and makes me sleep so much better. It’s a strange experience, but something that’s definitely taking all the risk.

If the air’s not crisp or if it’s all soggy and hot, I’ll close the window back up and lay on my bed. But if it is, then a wonderful experience it will be. I once fell asleep on my desk.

Sometimes I just gaze out at our lawn, thinking about glorious things. Sometimes I lightly hum to myself. Sometimes I don’t say anything and I just lay there, smiling as if the entire world’s misery, despair, and problems have all been resolved.

It’s a great feeling to be carefree. A great feeling to be able to not have the stress and burden of daytime. Night seems like another world for me, different from daytime. I may be stressing out, I may have forgotten homework at school, I may be worrying, but at night, I’m a different person. It’s nighttime.

It’s time to be different, I tell myself. It’s nighttime.