Sunset Struck! – Late Blooms

“When the sun has set, no candle can replace it.” ― George R.R. Martin — “When the sun has set, no candle can replace it.”
― George R.R. Martin

It’s nice to discover new things about oneself. I didn’t know that I was so enraptured by sunsets until I moved recently. In my old home, I rarely saw the sunset. In my new home, watching the sunset has become a nightly ritual – something I don’t like to miss. It’s a spectacular light show watching the kaleidoscope of changing colours. I’ve had to run for my camera spontaneously on so many occasions with the feeling that I couldn’t let the moment pass uncaptured. I’m not sunstruck; I’m sunset struck! It’s such a wonderful joy to see the vast array of colours and all the changes taking place so quickly before my very eyes. Twilight time has become very important for me.

From time immemorial, artists have tried to capture the beauty of the sunset on canvas and photographers of all calibers and persuasions as well. All these images were taken from the balcony of the condo. While I usually like to collage the images for my posts, I just couldn’t do this for the sunset. The sunset is beautiful on its own. Psychology Today says ” A glorious sunset is the epitome of fleeting beauty. For a few minutes, the sky is a spectacle of color — and then it’s over. Yet the psychological effects of admiring the sunset may persist long after the color has faded.” This is true for me. My excitement and happiness with regard to the sunset comes from looking forward to seeing it, seeing it, and enjoying the “afterglow” in my own heart and being. There’s nothing like Nature to boost one’s spirit and bring peace and calm at the end of a day.

Each day is born with a sunrise and ends in a sunset, the same way we open our eyes to see the light, and close them to hear the dark. You have no control over how your story begins or ends. But by now, you should know that all things have an ending. Every spark returns to darkness. Every sound returns to silence. And every flower returns to sleep with the earth. The journey of the sun and moon is predictable. But yours, is your ultimate ART.” ― Suzy Kassem — Each day is born with a sunrise
and ends in a sunset, the same way we
open our eyes to see the light,
and close them to hear the dark.
You have no control over
how your story begins or ends.
But by now, you should know that
all things have an ending.
Every spark returns to darkness.
Every sound returns to silence.
And every flower returns to sleep
with the earth.
The journey of the sun
and moon is predictable.
But yours,
is your ultimate
ART.”
― Suzy Kassem

My new love affair with sunsets is purely aesthetic and sensual. It has to do with feelings that arise within me on viewing the changes taking place in the sky as the sun sets at the end of the day. Sunsets are mesmerizing. “The colors of the sunset result from a phenomenon called scattering. Molecules and small particles in the atmosphere change the direction of light rays, causing them to scatter. Scattering affects the color of light coming from the sky, but the details are determined by the wavelength of the light and the size of the particle.. ” (science daily.com) The three images below were all taken of the same sunset on the same evening and show the “scattering” that took place that evening.

The point is that when I see a sunset or a waterfall or something, for a split second it's so great, because for a little bit I'm out of my brain, and it's got nothing to do with me. I'm not trying to figure it out, you know what I mean? And I wonder if I can somehow find a way to maintain that mind stillness. ~ Chris Evans — The point is that when I see a sunset or a waterfall or something, for a split second it’s so great, because for a little bit I’m out of my brain, and it’s got nothing to do with me. I’m not trying to figure it out, you know what I mean? And I wonder if I can somehow find a way to maintain that mind stillness.
~ Chris Evans

When I admire the wonder of a sunset my soul expands in the worship of the creator. -- Mahatma Gandhi — When I admire the wonder of a sunset my soul expands in the worship of the creator. — Mahatma Gandhi

Bursts of gold on lavender melting into saffron. It's the time of day when the sky looks like it has been spray-painted by a graffiti artist. -- Mia Kirshner — Bursts of gold on lavender melting into saffron. It’s the time of day when the sky looks like it has been spray-painted by a graffiti artist. — Mia Kirshner

For some people, sunset has another connotation. Older people often refer to their time of life as the “sunset years.” They relate the setting of the sun with decline and death. Sunset imagery abounds in poetry and writing of all genres. On Ronald Reagan’s diagnosis with Alzheimer’s, he wrote a letter in which he said: “I now begin the journey that will lead me into the sunset of my life. I know that for America there will always be a bright dawn ahead.”

“Nature is painting for us, day after day, pictures of infinite beauty if only we have the eyes to see them.” ― John Ruskin — “Nature is painting for us, day after day, pictures of infinite beauty if only we have the eyes to see them.”
― John Ruskin

At sunset, while it’s true that the sun is gone from sight and darkness descends, the sun hasn’t really gone anywhere. From my geography lessons, I recall that it is the earth that is rotating. “The Earth, which is the third planet from the Sun, takes 24 hours to rotate. This is what causes day and night. As the Earth rotates, it also moves, or revolves, around the Sun. The Earth’s path around the Sun is called its orbit. It takes the Earth one year, or 365 1/4 days, to completely orbit the Sun.” (kids eclipse.com) This is an intelligent Universe, isn’t it – and precise.

Every sunset brings the promise of a new dawn. -- Ralph Waldo Emerson — Every sunset brings the promise of a new dawn. — Ralph Waldo Emerson

Since I was just expressing how delighted I am to be in a location now where I have the opportunity to view sunsets, I wasn’t sure if I should have brought up the “sunset years” imagery. However, since I am sixty-six, I decided to touch on it. At sixty-six, sunset for me, represents a time to appreciate Nature’s artistry and to think of the light, energy, and warmth that the sun gives to my life and to all life. On waking up in the morning, the first thing I do is draw the curtains to see whether the sun is out. I feel happier when I see the sun. When the sun goes down at night, in its most spectacular way, it’s a time to end the day in a more rested state. It’s a “down” time for me too – a time to relax and take it easy, as well as enjoy the moonlight and the starlight. The “sunset years” imagery doesn’t make a lot of sense to me now. I only see beauty in the sunset.

Hope you liked the sunset images! The last one below is one I took when I was on an evening boat cruise this past summer. I couldn’t resist adding it here.

Sunset is so marvellous that even the sun itself watches it every day in the reflections of the infinite oceans! -- Mehmet Murat Ildan — Sunset is so marvellous that even the sun itself watches it every day in the reflections of the infinite oceans! — Mehmet Murat Ildan

NOTE: Since we’re talking solar system here – I’m mentioning something with regard to the moon since the Supermoon Lunar Eclipse takes place tomorrow night and many will be watching. The moon has no light of its own. It’s the light of the sun that reflects off the moon. Earth’s shadow will block the sun’s light and an eclipse will occur. Hope you’re able to catch a glimpse of the blood moon!