How Watching the Sunset Daily Changed My Life...

Let’s face it: school is stressful AF.

Especially when you have to arrive every other morning at 7:15 for high school jazz band, throughout the day possessing a serious lack of spare classes (um, more like none), and stay in prison until 4:30 for musical practices.

Ah, I remember when I used to actually eat lunch. Those were the good old days.

It’s even more absurdly busy when you add in your tutoring sessions for other students and guitar lessons for beginners after school and on weekends, both designed to make some coin and let you earn that shopping spree you deserve... but can never take, because you’re simply too filled up for any form of social life.

But who needs one of those, right? It’s not like these are supposedly the best years of my life!

Yes, perhaps I go to school every morning looking as if I had been mauled by a shark or some sort of vengeful platypus—their teeth are seriously sharp. Still, I make it out alive each day, and go to sleep even calmer than when knocked up on anesthesia after my wisdom teeth were lost to the war. Plus, I don’t have to worry about admitting my strange habits to random nurses or doctors! Win-win!

I’ve always been one for a nice relaxing spa day at home. A face mask. Maybe a brow tweezing moment or even a nice brownie that I totally earned. Topped off with a luxurious bath... except I don’t have time for such ludicrous desires. I need relaxation! Now, damnit!

...

I said now!

...

And the only way I feel I can achieve that is by sitting outside on my porch in an uncomfortable but aesthetically pleasing wicker chair, drinking some sort of herbal tea, and watching the beautiful, small town sunset I am blessed with every day.

Other than cloudy days. Or stormy days. Or days where I’m in the city.

Well, looking at pictures still has some kind of wonder to it. We’ll get to that later.

Immediately, I feel some kind of hope. I feel as though my rapidly producing hormones have stopped their constant, overly aggressive flow, as if I could become one with the clouds and, too, dance with the sun in such an artistic and beautiful way.

The best part is, it’s a chance to get away from your technology.

And boy, do we all need a chance for that.

A chance to sit, alone, quietly. Enjoying the peace that the silence washes over your somewhat-ready-and-consenting body...

But it doesn’t have to be.

I find that even taking photos, whether it be in a super trendy, artsy way like with a Polaroid camera that I can never afford or just on your smart phone that definitely has enough space for a “few” more sunset pictures, it’s fun. Dare I say, fun AF.

Sorry.

I’ll admit, I get reminders hourly because of how many photos I’ve taken how little space I have. (Again... none.) My phone is full but I can’t stop feeding it! I can’t help that I must take pictures of every sunset I see!

And hey, the anticipation of when all of my data will finally be erased as my phone resets and tries to forget the abuse it had been put through is fun! Like Russian roulette but... more relaxing? Less... death-y?

Each night I go to sleep reminded of the beauty this world holds. Each night I reflect on what my day was like and how the painted sky almost always seems to reflect that.

Each night I go to sleep at a reasonable time!

Plus, I can be lazy and leave my blinds open because it’s dark by the time I go to bed, later to regret all life choices as I’m bombarded by the sun’s constant rays of hope that I prefer when at 50 percent joy levels.

Because sunsets are beautiful. Beautiful AF.

... and you should go take some photos because it’s also calming and fun!