It was a bittersweet moment, knowing that summer was done and I was leaving Ottawa and everything that city meant; my home for the last four years, memories, lessons learned, cute Parliament cats and of course my girlfriend who lives and works there.
Even with all that in the back of my mind I just couldn't find it in me to be sad. Maybe it was the promise of s'mores, or the smell of BBQ wafting from the cottage (you can tell I like food).
But really I think the reason was the sunset. Next to its beauty, as the sun slipped behind the tree-covered hills and calm waters, the sunset signaled, as corny as it sounds, the beginning of something new. If I've learned anything it's that new is scary, but arrives at your doorstep anyways and should be embraced if you want to enjoy life.
The sunset is a moment to reflect on what has been, the day that has passed, the moments, the things you've learned, the obstacles and the triumphs you've had. It is a marker to prepare you for what is to come; a great night full of fun or a dark few hours to persevere through.
It is the end to one day and the promise that a new one will emerge, it is an end so a beginning can emerge. The daily example the sunset gives is important to me right now, on the cusp of a transition from school to applying my lessons to something that is hopefully progressive and helpful to society. It shows me that maybe new isn't just scary, but a chance to venture into another era of darkness, light and, at the end, another sunset that I will lament, but take joy in as well.
And most importantly the sunset is there to give hope. When the sky paints itself in colours thought unimaginable it shows that the impossible is not so impossible, that anything is within reach, that there is something that is still good in the world even if it seems like everything is crumbling around you.
So I am grateful for sunsets. I am grateful that I have been around for 8016 of them so far, out of car windows, airplanes, from desks, stores, porches, patios, half way around the world and right at home,
wherever that may be. I am grateful for the way sunsets signify change and the opportunities that it brings, chances to have fun, be strong, achieve the impossible, reflect, get better and give thanks.
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