I arrived home this evening to something lovely in the night air.

Someone had a fire going, and its smell was drifting through the neighborhood. Church bells chimed. The streetlight was illuminating a misty haze settling in for the duration. Neighbors’ Christmas lights were on. Finally, the weather was beginning to feel the way it should.

I vowed that I’d race myself to bed. I’ve been weighed down by an unshakable headache since the weekend, and I missed yesterday’s shut-eye target of 9pm by a modest hour and a half. Woops.

As a result, this morning was painful. Upon waking, my head throbbed for hours but subsided to a dull ache nestled behind my right eye by 11am. Tonight’s goal of tucking myself in by 8:30 is moments away, but I think I’ll make it.

There’s nothing better than crawling into bed on a cool night — a night so chilly that the heater cycles on and off periodically, creating a soothing white noise routine which keeps my slumber constant. Well, there’s nothing better — except for crawling into bed headache-less, and having no work the next day.

Rumor has it there’s rain on the way. With any luck it’ll be more than a few sprinkles, but we take what we can get in these parts. No matter what we’re blessed with, the night reminded me that a silver lining can always be found. A charming night in return for a pesky headache, a bit of rain to remind us that December is here in spirit — even if a 70-degree Christmas is in our future. For them — for the sparkle of silver and the good in everything — I am thankful.