Sunset

The earth moves through space, circling the sun at a rate of 514,000 (828,000) KPH. All the while, it spins at a rate of 1,037.5646 MPH or 29.78 km/s (107,200 km/h). In other words, we are on the move! And fast!!! Hopefully, we learn about this at a young age. Early grammar school science is chock-full of all these magical things that a young mind really can’t quite comprehend.

The vastness of space in the universe isn’t really understandable for us. We can talk about the numbers all we want, but it’s not real to us. Not really. Most of what makes up the universe isn’t really discovered at all yet. Dark matter and black holes and most of our understanding of the universe and how it came to be is still yet to be discovered.

There are lots of fun theories, but nothing completely concrete yet. We just have some clues that are visible from where we stand.

Lately I’ve been making time to watch the sunset. It’s not always possible, but I do find that when I try to make time for things like this, the doors start to open up and it gets easier. I’ve spent my life getting that warm, magical feeling by watching a sunset. I’ve never really been able to put my finger on it except that it’s really pretty sometimes and can change your mood or the whole way your brain is working in that moment.

This all sounds kind of metaphysical, but really it’s the opposite. Something changes when we sit down and absorb a sunset., maybe even chemically. A sunset can change my mood. It can take me away from whatever anxiety or darkness I am feeling. It can infuse hope into my heart and brain.

We get up in the morning and hit the ground running. It’s a constant, go go go world. For me, almost nothing can slow me down once I’m going. The day unfolds and sometimes it gets so busy that the day actually happens to me. It dictates my thoughts and moods and decision-making with its obligations and business-related activities.

I’m so lucky to have a job I love. It’s still easy to have tough and frustrating days but most of my days are really nice.

Still, my brain and body are constantly on, constantly thinking, moving, and creating. There’s never a dull moment, but also never a moment to just take a deep breath.

Taking the time out of my day to stop and enjoy the sunset has been extremely cleansing and positive for my mental, emotional, and physical well-being.

Something about watching the sun go down wraps up the things you were feeling throughout that day. It gives your brain a moment to close out those thoughts and bring them to a conclusion. It allows you to put those things to rest for the day. The sun and those thoughts will be up again tomorrow, but for now, just see the beauty, just be with it, in that moment… just breathe.

We are hurling and spinning through space at millions of miles an hour. Just a big rock flying around with a bunch of other big rocks. Some of those rocks are on fire!

The problems of our world are so much smaller than the realities of our universe. Maybe we don’t understand how the universe works, but using it to make our problems feel smaller and letting the sunset put those things to bed for the evening is a gift.

So, next time you notice the shadows getting longer, the sun getting lower and that melancholy starts setting in, just take a moment with the sunset and remember where you really are.