The Gray Hour Of The Evening

They often talk about the golden hour of the noon. But have you experienced the gray hour of the evening?

The other day, there was a power-cut in my colony around 4 in the evening. Usually the generator in the building is switched on during power-cuts. But that day the generator wasn't operating. So I opened the curtains of all the windows in the house. And that was when I experienced the gray hour of the evening. 

It is that time of the day when the sun, still very much in the sky, retracts all its rays, lending a gray aura to the evening. If someone took a picture of this moment, it would probably look like a black-and-white photo. This time of the day has a nostalgic aura.

That day as I soaked in the gray hour, it reminded me of my childhood when we experienced this phenomenon on a daily basis. Hailing from a middle-class family, we were all about savings and reducing expenses. So, evenings usually were kept naturally lit, with the power on in only one room of the house while the other rooms with open windows let in the gray color of the evening. I remember spending evenings sitting on the bench placed at the entrance of the apartments and watching people come home from work. For some ridiculous reason, it always made me happy to see people return to their homes. 

Today, as I try to recreate the gray hour as often as possible, I feel the same peace that those days brought. The lights are switched off in most of the rooms except one. The whole house looks like a nostalgic photo frame. It takes me back to my childhood when the day consisted of only two parts - the golden hour and the gray hour. 

The gray hour is special to me for another reason - it feels like the day hasn't ended. And at this stage of life that feels like it is speeding up, every lingering moment of the day is precious, for it gives the illusion of having more time. And in the middle-age, that is all you need sometimes.