Awake in the middle of the night, habit drew my eyes out the window. I’m never sure what I’m looking for, but I look.

Surprised by the brightness, I paused. Heavy cloud cover helped illuminate the darkness, making it bright enough I could easily have gone for a walk. In fact, I briefly thought that, but then shivered and hurried back to my bed, heated with an electric mattress pad.

White nights, I thought.

It’s not accurate, though.

Astronomical white nights

White nights are times near the Earth’s poles when it never gets completely dark, popularized in St. Petersburg. Presently, we are tipped away from the sun. It hangs low in the Wisconsin sky, when we see it. Nor are we far enough north to experience the light nights this astronomical term reflects.

There probably is a weather term for this “white night,” but I don’t know it.

Perhaps I also thought of the term “white nights” because of the snow cover on the ground, blanketing the world in white.

Whatever my reason for thinking it, it’s a reminder. Despite the long, cold dark nights typical of this time of year in the northern hemisphere, there are anomalies. Hours of darkness still outstrip light. And yet, here’s a night looking nearly like day.

Two years ago I moved to Tennessee to escape Wisconsin winters. It’s warmer on the border with Georgia where I lived. Snow is rare and doesn’t last long. You can walk all winter because the temps are mild and roads and sidewalks clear of ice and snow.

Dreading dark nights

But circumstances brought me back, and I’m grateful to be here right now. However, anticipating the winter ahead has been daunting. I’ve dreaded even thinking about it. Mentally, it’s a long, dark stretch.

Then, I noticed this white night, and I’m reminded: Even in extreme darkness, we can find light. The world continues on its axis. Seasons change. As we say in Wisconsin (and probably other places), if you don’t like the weather, wait a minute; it will change.

Back in bed, contemplating this night light, this white night, it gives me pause and hope for the days (and nights) ahead. Look for the light. It’s there. It’s coming. And maybe, it’s already here.

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How to Be a Better Writer Tip

Write when inspiration strikes

It’s rare when I don’t fall asleep quickly. Even when I’m awoken in the night, I usually can go back to sleep relatively easily.

However, on this particular night, I was wide awake. As soon as the phrase “white nights” popped into my head, I started writing this column. I pulled up the notes function on my phone and spent maybe 15 minutes putting my thoughts down.

Had I waited until morning, the inspiration would have been gone. As it was, I nearly forgot it entirely, except I’d emailed the notes to myself.

If you have time to write when you think of it, do it. It may not always be convenient, but you might be surprised that taking just a few minutes can help you catch that spark that can ignite into something more.