Good morning! I hope the world is being good to you and you’re being good to it.

Grab your coffee or beverage of choice and share a thought with me!

When was the last time you had the opportunity to really take in a sunrise or sunset? I’m talking about one of those that feel like Hollywood couldn’t construct it better. It’s that time when you catch the Earth’s rotation at just the right moment, when the colors are more vivid than you thought possible and there’s a general calmness to the day that feels like you’re the only one around for miles. Have you been fortunate to have that experience? If you have, did you stop and appreciate the moment or, in retrospect, take it for granted?

While I don’t live in a scenic locale providing stunning vistas, I am fortunate to have a pretty good sight line to the east and west horizons, so that means I get the sun blasting me awake in the morning and blinding me in the afternoon. That’s annoying, sure, but it also means I could get a daily treat if I wanted.

I’m up early more mornings now than I’ve been at any other time in my life. Mornings are chaotic, and I’m usually navigating drowsiness and the fight for survival of getting the kids ready for the day and out the door, let alone myself. Some mornings, however, I take a glimpse out the window and am transfixed by the sight. The oranges and yellows of the sun’s glow illuminate the sky as they’re diffused through morning mists. It’s a beautiful sight to behold and one I desperately want to sear into my memory.

That perfect combination of natural splendor and timing is easy to take for granted amidst the turbulence of day-to-day existence, so it’s fortuitous we get two opportunities every day. Sunsets paint with their own palette of colors, with red and sometimes purple joining orange and yellow atop a canvas of deep blue. Morning or evening, there is a masterpiece in the sky, and if you are able to take even a slight pause to admire it, you may see the world in a whole new light.