For those not familiar with what a night owl is, it is someone who is up late at night or all night long. There are some people who function naturally this way although society says you must function in the daytime to be considered normal. Some cities are a bit more functional for night owls when compared to others. New York City for example, is what would commonly come to mind as it is nicknamed “the city that never sleeps”.

Not a lot of places are functional in a practical sense for a night owl, though they might be in an entertainment sense. I haven’t found a bank that was open at night for those who want or need person-to-person service. There aren’t any doctor’s offices or mental health services open at night, other than the emergency room and crisis services.

Grocery shopping can be done late at night in a few states, and there are a few late-night restaurants that have good food. But even then, your choices are limited. If you want fine dining, you have to be up earlier in the day and ready to go earlier in the evening. Luckily for me, I am more of a burger guy at the moment, although if the occasion called for it, I would go for fine dining. Well, maybe not fine dining, but something more refined than a gourmet burger. I never understood why people pay what they do for some of the small portions that they get, but that is another story for another time.

Being a night owl does make travel easier, since society wants everyone functioning during the day. So when you want to go on a midnight drive to nowhere, you don’t have to worry about traffic as much, although you should bring a GPS since it is easy to get lost at night. I’m from Maine and when riding with a buddy in the past, we have wound up by New Hampshire or headed in the direction of Canada.

It’s possible to be a night owl in general, though making a good deal of money while being one can be difficult. Not many careers with good pay are conducive to the life of a night owl that I have seen. But if you can find one, the only thing you have to deal with is being up during the day for medical appointments and banking, as long as your ride is a night owl too.

Many night owls give up because it can be a difficult life. Others adjust to the difficulties out of stubbornness and because living life as a night owl feels so natural to them. It comes down to how much difficulty you are willing to deal with in life as well as how much you treasure being a night owl. If being a night owl means the world to you and you are willing to deal with all the difficulty that comes with it, and having to interrupt your sleeping pattern at various times, then go for it.

As for me, I am somewhere between wanting to be a night owl and resenting society for how night owls are treated and only functioning somewhat during the day. If it was up to me and I could handle it easily, I would be a full-time night owl. But, it is a choice everyone has to make for themselves.

*Tips his hat and walks out the door*.