The View From Here

Yes, we've all seen beautiful sunsets: whether a blanket of orange as it envelops a city's steel landscape, a mesh of pastels highlighting the settling sea, or, as in my case, a watercolor of soothing clouds and sky putting our backyard fields to sleep. For most of us, the event of our largest star setting into the darkness is one of many definitions of beauty; and something we can always count on. And really, isn't that also the definition of peace - something beautiful we can always count on?
I try to never take these moments for granted (especially because I am rarely awake to see the sunRISE). I can relate many a time in my life to looking to the sky in search of solace, understanding and maybe answers. As a curious youth, a dramatic teenager, a stressed college student, a tentative 20-something: the setting sun has been a loyal friend. I'm not religious, but the mystical occurence stirs a sense of spiritual wonder in my heart. Most of all, there is a feeling of belonging in thinking of how many others are witnessing the same incredible gift from nature. Some are readying themselves for the end of another day, while across the world, that day, with all its possibilities, is just beginning. A peaceful thought, indeed.