Sunlight

I used to think that sunsets signified “ending.” The final pink-orange slice of daylight to usher in the moon and stars. Relaxing on the porch with a nice drink or an evening latte and watching the sun dip below the horizon after a long, strenuous day or work or school. A time for unwinding and reflecting, appreciation for what has transpired, or relief at the approach of dusk.

Sunrises seem more like “beginnings.” The first glimpse of dawn, a pink-kissed morsel of hope breaching the darkness. The promise of something new, of a fresh start, often accompanied by the whir of a coffee-maker turning on or the crisp turning of newspaper pages. A time for aspirations, for sleepers to wake, for eagerness for the future, and setting down the right foot to progress with the waking day and hopefully accomplish something.

Often, sunsets and sunrises are presented in a “one or the other” type of scenario, but my answer to the “sunset or sunrise?” question has shifted more than once. With my job’s hours, I see both of them most every day. If I work an overnight shift, I come home to the sunrise, but if I work a mid-shift, I come home to the sunset, and both are their own unique experience. I used to think I preferred sunsets, but then I flipped to sunrises, and then flopped back. They each have their high and low points, their pros and cons; sometimes, they are even difficult to distinguish from one another.

I don’t think of sunsets as endings or sunrises as beginnings anymore, but rather, they are simply moments to indulge in; they don’t have to mean anything particularly significant. A sunrise can be an ending, a sunset can be a beginning, or they can just be snippets of beauty along a longer, winding road. If I’m lucky enough to get to watch the sun sink behind the distant mountains or rise and conquer the fallen night, then I just focus on seeing it, and appreciating it for what it is; a beautiful sight.

Maybe we don’t have to be sunset people, or sunrise people. Maybe we can all be both, and enjoy the endings as much as the beginnings, and appreciate their beauty.

This has been my pretentious musing mini-post for the week, stay tuned for a new Game of Thrones inspired post on Friday, all about recruiting new people to join “the Watch.”