Why I Make Time for the Sunset
How I put to bed the trails and tribulations of the day
Natural beauty is all around us. We see it in each other, in a blue sky, in the crashing waves, and the waving forests. We see it in the mountains in the distance, in the skyscape, and in the valleys that stretch into the horizon. Yet, each of those images can be made 10x better with a sunset.
All of my favorite pictures are of my city, or my home with an orange, pink, and purple sunset glowing in the background. There is a beauty to it that is hard to describe. The kind of beauty that you can’t take your eyes off of. If a sunset for a beautiful woman, she would be incredibly creeped out.
For whatever reason, the sunset seems to bring out the best and most aesthetically pleasing features of any landscape. The mountains dance, the water glistens, and the windows of skyscrapers turn orange. The sunset draws the entirety of your focus. Conversations go quiet. All movement comes to a halt. Time stands still for a few moments. No words need to be said. No movements need to be wasted. It’s just you and the beauty of the world.
That beauty and that moment are what draw me to a sunset. It’s a moment at the end of the day to reflect. If you had a bad day, it is a sign that the day is over and tomorrow will be a new one. If you had a good day, it is a congratulatory sign and a perfect ending to a successful day. Whether you had a good day or a bad one, the day has officially come to an end. The sunset is your moment of closure.
Growing up in Washington, I rarely made time for the sunset cause well; we didn’t get to see many. When the sun came up, it was grey, and when the sun went down, it was still grey. In Southern California, obviously, the weather is much different. I couldn’t find a number for how many days in a year you can see the sunset, but I would wager that I could step outside and see the sunset on 95% of the days down here.
This tradition started when I was living with my buddies in Newport Beach. They had a ritual where every night they would hop on their bike and ride off to the park to see the sunset. To each of them, the sunset meant something different. For one, the sunset reminded him of his mother in heaven. For another, it was his opportunity to spend quality time with his roommates. They each had their purposes, but they strived to take 15 minutes out of each day to watch the sunset. It was there moment to bond, wrap the day up, and look forward to tomorrow.
This ritual rubbed off on me. Why don’t I take time out of my day to relax, settle down, and closeout my day? You could take 20 minutes; you could take 2 minutes, it doesn’t have to be a big ordeal. All I had to do was take a moment to put everything down and metaphorically wrap up my day.
I am not a big mediation guy. I struggle to quiet my active mind. Sitting in bed or on a chair with my eyes closed is the entrance to depths of my imagination. I can barely hear the instructor as they lead us through the mediation. And yet, at sunset, my brain, my thoughts, my imagination turns off like a light switch. I don’t know if it is intrinsic human nature to be calmed by the glow of orange light, the same color as fire, or just the natural beauty that forces my mind to shut off, but everything comes to a halt. I use my time during the sunset as my mediation. It is a mental reset — a closure to my day.
When you take time to pause and conclude your day, you find that it is a lot harder to take any of the trials and tribulations from your day with you past that moment. For me, the thought that always runs through my mind is, “Today happened for a reason. The successes, failures, moments of triumph, and moments of misery are stepping stones on your path. Tomorrow is another day.”
And that’s it. The sun sets. I go back to what I am doing with a renewed sense of life and being. I am grounded again. I am back on track. I am ready to tackle the next challenge.
What has started as an opportunity to hang out with my friends has turned into a routine. Little did I know that it would go this way, but I am appreciative of the benefits.
Tomorrow, go outside for 5 minutes and enjoy the last couple of minutes of sunlight. Keep your phone in your pocket. Leave all distractions inside and appreciate the moment for its beauty. Hell, take a beer with you. Enjoy it. You have a full day of life behind you. You earned this moment to reconnect with yourself and your being. Today was a page in your story. Tomorrow you work to finish the chapter.
See you out there.
