nighthawk – n. a recurring thought that only seems to strike you late at night – an overdue task, a nagging guilt, a looming future – which you sometimes manage to forget for weeks, only to feel it land on your shoulder once again, quietly building a nest.
I am typically not a night person. I tend to fall asleep early (avoiding late night movies or events) and I can often sleep through the night. I tend to awaken a bit more as I age, but in general I’m not plagued by any sort of insomnia and am not awake at night.
Not often.
However, I often to have various commitments coming, lots of travel, and a chaotic life. Often I find myself reviewing a mental to-do list, worrying that I’ve forgotten something or I didn’t complete a task. I do have a physical list, but often there are so many repeating items that I don’t always write them down.
This usually comes before I speak at some event, and I find myself waking and worrying at night that I didn’t get something done before my presentation the next day.
Interestingly, I almost never think about forgetting to schedule a newsletter. I do that sometimes, but rarely.
From the Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows
