Sunset

I’ve found myself chasing sunrises and sunsets. In the Big Sky country, the sun rises and descends in waves of color, pastels of orange and pink and neon blue. The clouds meander above the mountaintops, projecting a kaleidoscope across the sky, wisps like paint strokes dot the scene. It is in these mystical moments of reflection that I consider the work to do and work that has been done

Sunrises are a great spectacle, but you must rise early enough to experience it. My sunrises tend to be dominated by shades of blue and orange with rays of sunlight peaking above the Bozeman Pass. In the early morning crisp, I find sunrises are a moment of hope. Where will the new day lead us?

Sunrise is a time to hit the pause button on the morning routine. I think I can speak for most professionals when I say the chaos of the workday seems to stifle most opportunities to seek out new ideas or solve current problems. So find your sunrise. Find your moment of pause. Whether this is an actual sunrise, a picture or video, or another activity you use to suspend your morning (like sipping an espresso), find some reflection time to focus on the possibilities of your day.

For me, there is a correlation between inspecting a sunrise and my moment of self-reflection. The fluidity of the clouds represents my approach to ideas: ever-changing, endless and always in motion. Colors represent the vibrancy and tone of ideas, an idea can have multiple shades after all. Small iterations of an idea will lead to different outcomes, which present subtle options to overcome barriers. The rays of sun simply represent hope and orient my brain toward a positive attitude, a crucial component to success in anything and everything we do.

Now that you have oriented yourself mentally to your day at hand, you will have a stronger sense of self and footing to tackle the day’s challenges. New issues will undoubtedly present themselves that you must address, but your mind will be in the right place to do so. You can always take a pause at work to sunrise your new ideas (this isn’t something that only has to happen once).

Regardless, at the end of the day, we find ourselves full of thoughts, questions, new understandings and new problems to solve. We must address this information, and we can’t wait until the next morning to make sense of it all.

As if acknowledging the overbearing of the day, sunsets are often overwhelmingly bursting with colors and unique hues that reach across the sky as if stretching its arms before settling into bed. Sunsets represent a moment for reflection for the day’s events. Once you are more comfortable with structured reflection, start expanding the paths that you explore. This will inevitably create deeper thoughts on the work you are doing and make your work more productive. But it’s not all about reflecting on work. I’m reminded of one sunset in particular. It was the end of summer and the leaves in the cottonwoods chattered in the breeze as if finishing up the final conversations for the day. I stopped and raised my gaze to the neon light that shone through. I felt an overwhelming sense of peace as the scene paused in time. A lone cricket chirruped approval, breaking the spell.

I stepped through the gap between the barn and a rusted gate, bent from the abuse of horses and humans through the years. I swung it shut, and latched it with the rustling of the metal chain. I chased the sunset into the house where my wife and children were playing in the waning light. The place where my greatest moments of reflection live.

Over a hundred miles away from Los Angeles here I am dreaming, enjoying the solitude of the high desert wasteland of Kernville, CA. We visit the area every year for a family camping trip. Although I’m not taken for the outdoorsy type, I enjoy the opportunity to disconnect from the daily stress of life. It’s an opportunity to unplug, to get away from the inundation of our always-on world.

The surrounding area is desolate, filled with cacti, brush, and the semi-frequent jackrabbit that is there to remind you of the surrounding animals whose kingdom you have called home for the night.

This may be their world but together we share the same experience of the daily rituals of the sky. The phases of sunrise and sunset, where the sun gets replaced by the moon — the constant to remind us of the sacredness of life.

I’ve learned that life isn’t so trivial, it’s quite gorgeous and simplistic. We are bombarded constantly with what to think and feel instead of trusting what really is.

We aren’t acutely aware of life’s beauty which is hidden during our day to day experiences, especially for those trapped in the city limits. It’s only when we can escape to nature does life truly reveal itself, in its immaculate entirety. At that moment it’s as if nothing else matters besides the connection that naturally occurs.

Staring out beyond the mountains and watching the sun slowly disappear, I become present enough to not only realize but also appreciate the symbolism of the sunset.

Out of all the days in the year, this one is particularly special — not because of any personal event or moment, but it’s in this time here that this particular sunset made me aware of the simplicity and beauty of life. The most gorgeous and stunning piece of art or painting isn’t conceived from the hands of man but instead is a daily creation of the sun when it sets to say goodbye to the day.

Life is both as simple and as beautiful as every sunset while also being as delicate and as sacred.

It’s the simple things that go overlooked. Often we look at the sunset while we’re thinking about something else, never allowing ourselves to take the moment in. It pays to be mindful of the charm; you can’t ignore any aspect of life because it can be taken at any moment. Cherish every moment, particularly the sunsets.

There’s no such thing as an ugly sunset — at the same time, there’s no such as an ugly life. The divine configuration of beauty is everywhere, you just have to look. Each day we are given the gift of both light and breathe, those are things we never have to search for. Every day there’s a sunset but it takes the conscious action of looking to render its existence.

We define our life based on the days which are as unique as the sunrises and sunsets that open and close them. Every day we’re given another opportunity to use the moments in-between to the best of our ability. And when the clock is up, the sun fades into the background to be replaced by the moon which shines brightly to remind us of our light.

The days become weeks, and the weeks become months, then months turn into years. After it all, we look back to notice the commonality between the days and years and how the sunset, each in its own right beautiful and different, has helped transform us to be better people.

When we look out into the sun, the sunset is our reminder that yes indeed everything will be alright. As it disappears, so do our problems of the day — as it reappears a brand new — it’s a new opportunity to become a better you.

And at the end of the day — we’re always given the chance to start over again.

To live for another sunset.