Relaxing Sunrise / Peaceful Sunset

If your life is rushed and you are tired all of the time, chances are that it's been a long times since you've seen a sunrise or sunset.  You might either be sleeping in past the time of the gradual rising of the sun in the morning, and/or most likely rushed to do your evening activities and even if outside, might look right past the glorious colors in the sky as they change and paint themselves against the horizon.

Sitting to watch a sunrise or sunset is something that requires us to be still as we take a moment, stop the car, go out on the deck, look out the window, or just stand still long enough to watch the transition of colors as they gradually change and morph from pinks and reds and lavenders, to reds and finally blues or grays.  It's an activity that causes us to pause for a moment and just breath in the landscape, but it doesn't last forever, and therefore if our life is rushed and our mind is too busy, we miss it for another day.

As we all know, the sun is not actually "rising" or "setting"... it's simply appearing and disappearing in our awareness as the earth rotates, just like thoughts appear and disappear in our mind as we travel through our day.  As the earth rotates, the sun comes into our field of perception and lights up the sky with an array of colors which bounce off the clouds and objects around us in a way that many have called, magical.  Photographers love these times of the day because the colors become very pronounced and dynamic.

There was a time long ago when we humans slept and woke with the appearance and disappearance of the sun, so our ancestors most likely saw many more sunrises and sunsets than we do today.  In comparison, we have to make an extra effort in these modern days to put ourselves in the path of a sunrise or sunset in order to not miss it.

The fullest colors of these dynamic images in the sky last about 15 to 30 minutes, so the next time you find yourself catching a glance from the corner of your eye, see if there is a safe place to pull the car over, or somewhere to sit for a moment, or even just allow yourself five silent moments of observation from a window or other space where you can reconnect with the peacefulness of the natural rotation of the earth you are a living part of.  Let your eyes relax into the brilliant colors before you as they gently morph from one color to the next.  Let your breathing slow and your shoulders relax and try to remember who you are outside of the hustle and bustle of your contemporary daily life.

Thanks to Hartwig HKD for the great art in photography - Meditation at the Lake