The sunsets gone
A September sunset in Volos, Greece
Looking at sunsets is such a wholesome and fulfilling moment for me. And a very conflicting one.
I love it when I happen to see the sunset. This experience of witnessing so much beauty by just looking to the sky brings a strong feeling of awe: a phenomenon so ephemeral, that changes every second during its tiny life, has a huge impact on my soul. It’s soothing. It’s satisfying. The colors in the sky create a magnificent, calming palette. It makes me want to stand still and watch until it disappears.
The good thing is that it’s there every day. But most of the times, I don’t pay attention. I take it for granted. After all, it will be there again tomorrow. I didn’t realize that for years. I was going to work very early in the morning and it was very usual that, by the time I left the office, it was already dark outside. I didn’t even see the sunlight the whole day. I always had to finish that report or answer a bunch of e-mails that the idea of walking out in the sun or catching the sunset was not only a luxury, it was wrong.
A terrifying realization, though, is that the number of sunsets we get to see in our lives is definite. I’ve already seen a few, missed so many of them and the number of sunsets I could see in the future is unknown. The thought is really gloomy but is also awakening: there is a choice. The choice to pay attention.
We are so distracted by our hectic programs that we don’t even think to find some time to take a break, put a tiny portion of nature in our day, which is not only calming but can also be really therapeutic for our mental health. It’s a matter of self-care. But we don’t make it a priority.
Watching the sunset reminds me to take a pause and pay attention. Pay attention to all these simple moments of life I often fail to appreciate: walking out in the sun, listening to a song I love, having dinner with loved ones. These are the real stuff.
The distractions are always there, though, and it requires a great deal of effort to handle them. I’m trying to do all these things I read in books or listen in podcasts about mindfulness and being present. It all sounds really nice but putting them into practice is challenging. But practice makes, well, not perfection, but betterment. And this thought about all the sunsets gone, that I missed and can't rewind to bring them back and enjoy them, absorb them, is my trick, my daily “note to self” to pay attention to the simple, precious moments that constitute my life.