I witnessed a gorgeous sunset recently. I was somewhat unprepared for it. When my friend had asked me earlier what I hoped to experience during my too-few hours at the beach, “watch a sunset” had been on my list. But I wasn’t expecting anything special. So there we were, lounging at the beach, when she checked the time, hurriedly collected our things, and got us quickly over to the other side of the bay, to the sunset-watching side. As we approached the dock, we were treated to a marvel. 

The darkness whispered its gradual coming with a dazzling display across the sky and water. I could hardly keep up with the gorgeous array of colors. Although I’ve experienced many beautiful sunsets, too many to count, I felt the full force of this particular sunset. I had never experienced this beauty and I never would again. This sunset demanded my full attention. 

But often, alongside the awe I feel during those moments, I feel something else, something like grief, a tinge of sadness. Maybe it’s because as I watch the sun set, I am especially attentive to my surroundings. Maybe it’s because I am quiet and still, no longer distracted by the many distractions that fill my day. And in the stillness I can finally feel all I have been trying not to feel.

It’s such a simple thing—a sunset—as ordinary and as certain as the passing day. And I often find it so hard to reconcile the fact that such breathtaking beauty exists in a world of heartbreaking horrors. Take a moment, take a deep breath, be still for a few seconds and you will think of something that breaks your heart. I know I do. 

And so I let the feelings come. I feel the full force of them. And I open my eyes and marvel at the gift it is to witness yet another beautiful sight in this wild and wonderful world. And I say a prayer of thanks as the last light lingers at the horizon, soon to slip away.

-Eyes wide open, Chinwe