As she looks at the time, she realizes she will be late.
She jumps in the car, the others following behind her, as she says, “Come on, we’re going to miss it!”
They’re off, cruising down the freeway in a foreign city, taking in the sights around the concrete walls of the road. Eventually, she realizes that the possibility of making it home before it’s gone is diminishing slowly.
She focuses her attention on her surroundings and the sounds of the music penetrating her ears; she loosens up, allowing herself to sing along and enjoy the moment she is in.
Eventually, the car pulls in. She opens the door and jolts into the home, sprinting up and skipping some of the 53 steps in the house to get to the destination: the balcony.
She pushes down on the door handle, runs through, and stops. She freezes and sighs a breath of relief; she made it.
As her heartbeat slows down from all the adrenaline, she takes in what she was longing to see. The sunset. But, what made this one extra special was the fact that it was set on a skyline.
She sits down on the couch behind her, props her feet on the table, and just watches. For her, time slows down; right now, all she has to worry about is the sky. The others soon found their way up as well; they sat down with her and observed how daylight was slowly fading, leaving behind streaks of colors painted across the sky.
Sunsets are something she has always loved, no matter where she views them. Her love lies with the sky, each night slightly different than the last. Her conscience is filled with an overwhelming amount of scenes throughout her life with different people and places in the sky.
From watching on the beach to looking out her back window at home, she always tries to watch the sun’s final moments each day. She’s always cherished the 30-minute timeframe from golden hour to when the last strips of color fade away into the blackness of night.
She loves to capture them on her camera, although they are nowhere near as beautiful as they are in the moment. Sunsets are a constant reminder of just how gorgeous and wonderful nature is, taking time at night to pause the business of life and gaze up at the sky is fulfilling. On the days when she’s up early enough to witness the rise of the sun, she pauses, takes a deep breath, starts her day off with beauty, and ends it the same way.
Whether she’s racing down the highway (safely), or running from a hotel down to the beach in flip-flops that are too big for her feet, she is always determined to witness the wonder of nature’s paintings day in and day out.
Sunsets are proof that endings can be beautiful too- Beau Taplin
