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.”
For several folks all over the world, coffee is what sets the morning in motion. Or it provides a much-needed stimulant in the afternoon. Or it can be the fuel to a productive evening if you don’t have to wake up early the following day. Basically, coffee is a versatile tool that can be utilized whenever someone needs a caffeine-based boost. On many dreary days, it is only the tantalizing scent of coffee that is capable of dragging me out of bed in the morning, and during certain evenings, I look forward to indulging in a cup of “night coffee” as I settle in for an editing session or to read a few chapters of a book.
During the ride down to D.C, my friend (who is a K-pop expert) briefed me on what to expect, so I felt more or less equipped to handle things. However, more details trickled through over the course of the day, as she would casually mention, “Oh, by the way, there will be whistles,” and “Oh, just so you know, it’s going to start with a D.J.” and “There’s like, sort of a dress code…but don’t worry about it” – I half expected her to tell me the boys would land onstage after descending from the ceiling on trapezes. Outside the theater, we were given posters to wave during a particular number… and since I didn’t know any of the songs, my friend assured me she would alert me in advance. Once we entered the venue and got to our seats (in the balcony), she also mentioned, “It’s good we’re not in the orchestra seats, because it gets crazy down there,” and a girl sitting near us assured me, “Oh, it’ll get crazy up here too.”
Naturally, when the group members – Yongguk, Daehyun, Jongup, Himchan, Youngjae, and Zelo (I only had to google, like, 2 of those – I’m getting better!) – actually emerged onstage and launched into their first number, the crowd totally lost it. I looked down into the orchestra and it was a literal sea of flailing arms, hands waving those little bunny monster wand things (Matokis, I think?) and screaming. A fan up in the balcony had some sort of light-up sign, as well. At some points, it got so loud that I feared I would lose my hearing for the following day, and my friend and I both had to work at 5AM the next morning, so that would have been less than ideal. Luckily, the ear-ringing ceased on the car ride home.
My favorite performances from the event were “Wake Me Up,” “Feel So Good,” “B.A.B.Y,” and “Spy” – at least, I’m pretty sure those are the titles. I had to google it. But I enjoyed all of it, and at no point or during any song did I think anything like, “Meh, this one’s just okay.” I also enjoyed the “Baby’s Lounge” segment, where the band members were charismatic and entertaining and got a window to interact with the crowd. I was surprised that they didn’t take more of a break between numbers – there were really only a couple of times where they stopped for a “costume change,” and they performed most of the songs back to back, which has to be exhausting. Regardless, they never lost their momentum and it kept the crowd enthused. I was jamming out to pretty much all of the songs – I’m not the type to really “let loose” and go crazy with the dancing and arm waving, but I did my share of “stand a sway” and moving to the rhythm. I let out a few “Wooo!”s of my own. The members each have their unique talents and voices, and they combine and complement one another in a way that makes a spectacular sound – plus their dancing/choreography is superb and was executed to perfection. “Feels So Good” and “B.A.B.Y,” were on repeat in my head for a couple days after – they are SO catchy. Not a single number or performance fell flat – as someone who knew pretty much nothing going in, I came away from it with a big grin on my face.
Now that the concert is over and I have had time to process, I can declare that, while I liked all of them, Himchan is my favorite… or I guess he would be my “bias?” I’m still not entirely clear on the terminology. Like, there’s something about “sons”? Or was it “children”? My friend tried to explain it to me but I was more or less like a well-meaning, yet clueless mom at her kid’s anime convention. The people around us in line and the girls sitting behind us were chattering on about their “biases” and all sorts of things and my friend could follow every word, but I was lost.
Sometimes I just tack it on to the end of a text, without any context or previous references to cephalopods. It’s like adding a little smile at the end, only with eight legs (the picture technically has six, but I don’t think it’s meant to be a squid.) It actually used to be a lot cuter, but my keyboard recently updated, so my entire emoji scheme is different, but the new versions have grown on me. I am also very fond of the various cat faces and the elephant. I do refrain (typically) from using them in professional correspondence, however… though a smiley may slip by, on occasion.
