Saturday, January 26, 2013

365 Inspirations—26: Sunsets

"When I admire the wonders of a sunset or the beauty of the moon, my soul expands in the worship of the creator."—Mahatma Gandhi

Yesterday turned out to be surprisingly sunny in Seattle. I went to yoga in the morning and met a friend for Korean food for lunch. When we stepped out of the Korean restaurant, sun was all around! It was so nice. We went to my house for tea and the banana bread I made yesterday and chatted a bit and then I drove her home. It was a wonderful day!

The sun was still high and suddenly I had an impulse to go down to Puget Sound and watch the sunset, but was afraid I was too late. I googled "Sunset today in Seattle" and "5:00 PM" in huge print showed up on my computer screen. It wasn't 5:01 or 5:20 or 4:45, the sun would set at exactly 5:00 PM. I found this so intriguing. Such an exact time for the sun to decide to set!

I looked at the time and it was 4:40 PM. I hopped in my car and drove to a park near my house on Puget Sound. As I mentioned in a previous post, right here in Seattle we have the most picturesque parks with a view of the Olympic Mountains, ocean, sand, beach and forest. It is so breathtaking to see these all at once right in the city!


As I was winding down to the water, I could see the sun slowly sinking between the trees. There were plenty of parking spots. I parked, grabbed by purse and made my way down to the water.

There were people walking up and down the beach and couples huddled together waiting for nature's show. Children drew images in the sand with sticks and some people even brought a picnic dinner.

I sat down on a log very close to the water and listen to the sound of the waves. A train roared by hugging the coastline. What a spectacular ride for the passengers! The sun's reflection on the train caught my eye.


 Another day was almost over and I wanted to see the very last glimpse of light on the horizon. I wanted to freeze the moment. I closed my eyes and meditated for a moment. I felt like I was in a holy place, like church or a temple. Every sight, sound, smell and touch felt like a benediction.

After the sun dropped away, I felt a chill in the air as night began to set in.

I made my way to my car, happy that I did not let the day and nature's final offering slip away from me unnoticed.

Do you like sunsets? Have you seen a sunset recently?

6 comments:

  1. I LOVE sunsets. They are a peaceful close to the day. The sun going to sleep and bidding us adieu for the night. But I have to say, sunrises are my favorite :)

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    1. I like sunrises too, but am never up in time to see them (ha, ha!)

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  2. I do love sunsets when I take the time to notice them. I tend to let too many go by without notice. You wrote a very beautiful description of the end of the day.

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    1. Hi Tina,

      I've let a lot of sunsets go by too without noticing them, often times it's because it's so rainy in Seattle. On the rare occasion that the sun is shining in the winter, I try and make an effort to go watch the sunset if I am free!

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  3. Read a book in childhood called 'Never Miss a Sunset'--don't remember the plot, but I remember the father telling his daughter that particular line--reminding her that you can't just pull open a drawer and see a sunset any time you want.

    Like that sentiment. One reason I love summers (and winter breaks) so much is that I can live more attuned to the cycles of nature instead of alarm clocks and artificial lights.

    Gorgeous photos!! I do miss that view.

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    1. The book sounds GREAT Laurie! You must get a lot of nice sunsets where you are too! Yes, I love summer days when I can live outside and in tune with the rhythm of life!

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