My sunset sky
I snapped this picture of sunset over our church building in Fairfield, CA, August 2003
“Clouds come floating into my life, no longer to carry rain or usher storm, but to add color to my sunset sky.” ― Rabindranath Tagore
There are a lot of things I really like about getting older. Based on what others have said or written, I know I’m not the only one who has experienced a wonderful sort of letting go of past anxieties, and a freedom to enjoy the unpredictability of life from a kind of distance that wasn’t there in youth, when I was eager to move ahead into what then seemed an endless future.
It’s not that there are no storms or rain now; indeed, there may be more of them than ever. But the older I get, the fewer alarming disruptions they cause in my world. The colors, on the other hand, grow more dazzling all the time. Maybe they were always this way, and I just didn’t have time to see it.
If you’re a young person reading this, you might suppose that such talk is just the way old people console themselves. But think about it: which is better — sunrise, when you are full of energy and face a day of tasks, some that are fun and some that are formidable? Or sunset, after your work, though possibly incomplete, has reached a stopping point of sorts; when you’ve finished the last chore for the day, and look forward to a few hours of relaxation (or at least, less strenuous work) and maybe some candlelight, nice music or reading before bed?
I realize not everyone sees things this way, but as lovely as I find the sunrise, I think sunset is my true favorite. No more worries about the clouds then. Rain occasionally may spoil daytime plans, but at night it makes a wonderful sound by which to fall asleep.
Next time you see a beautifully tinted sky at sunset, remember Tagore’s wise observation, and bask in the thought of the serenity and rest awaiting you at day’s end.
One year ago today:
This post was first published seven years ago today. The original post, comments and photo are linked, along with two other related posts, below. These links to related posts, and their thumbnail photos, do not appear in the blog feed; they are only visible when viewing the individual posts by clicking on each one. I have no idea why, nor do I know how they choose the related posts. That’s just the way WordPress does things.
Defeat Despair 
Good morning, Julia! Thank you for the lovely photo and picture painted by your words regarding the tranquility of sunset and evening. Recently, I’d been more distressed by sunset, as it signaled another day gone by without completion of many tasks, but it seems as if this past year has shifted my perspective somewhat. I suppose that being home, and working from home, night and day are less differentiated?
That might be part of it. But I would hope that it’s party a shifting of priorities that many of us have experienced this year, where we realize that our feeling of control (often obtained by “getting things done”) is illusory at best, and things can change in a heartbeat– sometimes literally in a heartbeat– regardless of what we do or don’t do. Interestingly, with this realization can come a sense of freedom too.