REFLECTION | LIFE

I Used to Be a Sunset Person, But Now…

Is it just age, or a shifting of priorities?

If you’re lucky enough to live in a western-facing coastal city — anywhere around the world — you have the opportunity to “put yourself in the way of beauty,” as they say, and seek out a magical sunset over the water.

You are fortunate to have this moment. Many choose to acknowledge it.

A sunset’s a wonderful thing to catch during vacation, no doubt. But having lived in Southern California for the past 25 years — and now with an eye on long-term international travel — I’ve had my fair share of unforgettable sunset moments.

No matter the day, you can witness the masses following the gravitational pull west toward the sea as the long-afternoon ends. Some have been there all day and are capping off a beach visit. Others are giving themselves five minutes of self-care after a tough day at the office.

Those in the know stand in silence, giving the moment the reverence it deserves.

Those in the know also know the magic isn’t in taking 95 photos of that sunset, only seeing it through your phone screen, but instead taking it all in through your eyes, your whole being — experiencing it, bearing witness to it, not just documenting it.

But even with this knowledge I’ve of course captured a few sunsets for posterity, just like the best of them.

Yet, there’s a dichotomy in watching a beautiful sunset, in experiencing that moment, that transition.

I’ve noticed a slight melancholy and depression somedays when it’s over — a sigh, a recognition that this magical day is coming to a close, that it’s time to maybe head back to work and reality tomorrow.

Beautiful, but then time moves on, and now you have to deal with these emotions, these facts — just like all of life, I guess.

In the past year or so, there’s been a slight shift in me, and I’ve discovered the magic of the Sunrise.

Don’t get me wrong, if you haven’t gotten enough sleep or you’re facing a big challenge in the day ahead, a sunrise can be a most unpleasant reality.

But I’m talking about when you intentionally step out of bed and choose to bear witness to the arrival of a brand new day.

A few years back my partner and I were lucky enough to be renting a very small room in Kailua, our favorite little beach town on all of Oahu, Hawaii.

Everyone loves the Hawaiian sunsets — and indeed, they should! — but as I was going to bed one night it occurred to me that I was right on the edge of the most eastern part of the island and had the power to walk for two minutes and enjoy a sunrise for the first time — at least for the first time when I wasn’t zipping along in some car on my way to work too early, or racing to catch that early morning flight.

It felt a bit odd to have the alarm go off at 5:50 a.m. while ostensibly on vacation — putting on a warm hoodie in the dark and slipping outside. But I can’t deny it was a unique new adventure and I felt kinda proud of myself — I was making a deliberate choice to shake things up, to do things differently in life, to give myself a gift, just for me.

I planted myself on the sand in the dark, watching intently as the sky changed in increments before me, and it was magical to watch the sun creep up over the horizon, over the water.

The arrival of a brand new day, a new opportunity to get it right.

A gift.

I should have been doing sun salutations, no doubt, but I was too mesmerized. Perhaps next time.

And I went on to do this each morning for the rest of the trip.

I have to wonder, is it just age?

Now that I’m 50 have I crossed over into that demographic that prefers the early morning hours to get stuff done? Have I become “one of the old people,” up at dawn, banging cabinets and loudly washing dishes while the young people try to sleep?

Or is it that I’m lucky to have a new perspective, to have the time to even take a moment to welcome the sunrise, instead of running around, feeding kids, shoving toast in my mouth as I zip out the door to work?

Or is it the realization I have perhaps more days behind me than in front of me?

Whatever it is, I’m lovin’ it.

Never fear, you will still, without fail, find me viewing a sunset if I’m able.

But when you reach a certain point in life, when you’ve overcome obstacles and perhaps grown into your true self, the one lived for you and not just for others, you can’t help but feel immense gratitude to be witnessing the start of another day. You’ve been gifted another chance to get it right — and it’s sometimes nice to welcome that day with your thoughtful presence.

So go out, brave world travelers, brave humans. When you can, if you have the urge, take a moment for you and witness the sunrise — for the magic across the sky is sometimes just as beautiful as any sunset. Sometimes better.

Unless you need the sleep. Then by all means give yourself that gift. That is, until your soul requires the morning lift.

Of course, I must close with some pictures of an insane, you’ve-got-to-be-kidding-me, that-cannot-be-real sunrise I witnessed on Thanksgiving morning, last week.

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