#11 Jan 28, 2026
The Day We Leave Childhood Behind

Around midnight I heard a low rumbling. I rolled out of bed with my blanket and pillows and my favorite stuffed bunny. Now on the floor I made sure I was under the blanket completely so no air could escape. Cold air began blowing upwards from the heating vent beneath me but it got warmer quickly. My blanket filled up like a hot air balloon, my own private sanctuary. The quiet hum makes me comfortable. The hot air makes me relaxed. The darkness inside makes me forget about the rest of the world and its worries.

“When we are children we seldom think of the future. This innocence leaves us free to enjoy ourselves as few adults can. The day we fret about the future is the day we leave our childhood behind.” Patrick Rothfuss, The Name of the Wind

I've been doing this since I was five. Not every night, but many of them. On cold winter nights, or even just dark and rainy ones, I will often lay down with my blanket over the vent and relax as the hot air fills the space around me. I've thought about making a painting based on this for years but have never gotten around to it.

Salty Salutations,
from Captain Seawater