It’s getting darker but light remains

Let there be light.

As the transition from summer to fall—light to dark—progresses many people bemoan the change.

Nearly 60 minutes of daylight will have been lost during the month of September. Increasingly pickleball matches will take place under illuminated floodlights and dogs and their attendants will stroll under violet skies.

Daytime activities are giving way to evening plans.

The march toward darkness will continue through December and the winter solstice. It can be a dispiriting time for those who thrive in sunshine.

But not all is dark and gloomy. Especially for baseball fans, particularly Padres fans.

The home team has made the playoffs. As of this writing their opponents are unknown but who they play is not nearly as relevant as when and where they play.

A late afternoon or evening Major League Baseball game on the East Coast means a night time viewing here. That’s when the lights shine bright.

For years Chula Vista’s nightlife along its main downtown corridor was sleepy at best. Third Avenue wasn’t a ghost town but it certainly wasn’t a vibrant, thriving hub. There were times when it seemed more like a church after a funeral gathering had departed.

But over the last decade or so more businesses have opened that lend themselves to night time happenings.

The bars, coffeehouses and restaurants downtown certainly do business during the day but unlike many of their neighbors and unlike some of their predecessors they don’t close shop at 5 p.m. They keep the lights on.

It’s during these months and these occasions, when fans are cheering on their favorite teams and the bars and the eateries have “the game” playing on TV that one can take a moment to appreciate the bright spots in our lives.

On any given night in the Fall, when the Padres are playing and you are strolling down the avenue you’ll find yourself immersed in the soft glow of television sets and ambiance lighting. The sounds of friends cheering and chatting may follow you down the street, reminding you that though the days are getting shorter and darker sooner, the light that carries us through to Spring stays with us.