why we travel… reason #12.

familiar light bathing an unfamiliar landscape, a humble reminder of the vastness of the universe, of the purity of our existence, of the complex miracle that is life.

sunset is the universal changing of the guard, when sun gives way to moon. a silent vow, a vigilant promise, as if only for our watchful eyes. one rising, one setting, and us crossing the threshold. It’s a rebirth, it’s a recharging, it’s a reminder. as day fades into night and the need for acceptance and forgiveness is forgotten.  and all that’s remains is the knowledge of existence, pure and honest and hopeful.

witnessing the sunset for the first time in madrid was the only way i was able to conceptualize the reality of my new life- that i had moved away, had quit my job, was living in a country across the ocean from everything i knew and everything i thought i wanted and now i was there. i remember laying on my back in a park on the west side of the city and feeling the grass under my body and the warmth of the sun waning slightly and for the first time understanding not only the magnitude of my decision, but finally embracing how i wanted to be and feel and live, from that moment on, indefinitely. something about that familiar reminder connected me, grounded me, and elevated me.

sunset is a universal reminder that no matter how far we travel, how foreign the culture, how unfamiliar the landscape, how disorienting the perspective,at dusk we are blanketed in a sweet and settling confidence that existence is perhaps the only comfort we need. in any land or any home or any state of mind. and with that confidence we can and must go forth.

for sunsets, and all of the impenetrable familiarity they provide.