Light in the Dark

I’ve been in plenty of hotel rooms with different lights in them, but I apparently still don’t know how to operate them all. I was smart enough to flip the switch when I entered my room for the first time, but I didn’t realize how little I knew.

Later that evening, I flipped what I thought was the correct switch. Since the light turned off, I didn’t think much of it. I was exhausted and settled in quickly. But I woke up a while later when the light turned on. I hopped out of bed and turned it off. I dozed then awoke again when the light came on.

Really?

It happened repeatedly through the night, and it wasn’t until close to dawn when I realized what was happening. I had flipped the switch connected to the motion detector. So every time I rolled over in bed, the sensor triggered the light. Getting out of bed to flip the switch only temporarily shut it off. More motion=more light.

Sometimes we need to learn new things about the basics we think we’ve mastered. It’s the only way we’ll know the difference between the light and day—and how and when they get out of sync.