Before my “vanlife” road trip through Utah several months ago, I had written out some goals and things I wanted to accomplish while living “off grid,” so to speak. One of my goals stated, “See every sunrise. Watch every sunset.” When I first wrote it down, in the back of my mind I did so for reasons of photography and capturing that first and last light of day, as well as trying to make the most of the time I had. But over the course of that week the phrases kept running through my head as I thought on them and they came to have a more profound meaning than I originally intended.

I knew I would be awake early each day. My plan was to be in a spot to watch the sunrise and photograph it. Some days I was already hiking but I was in a position to see those first rays light the sky. I thought the same with the evenings as it started getting dark; I was always in a position to see that last light fade into the night. As I repeated this phrase over in my thoughts, they took on new meanings for me.

See Every Sunrise

We know that early morning light has a profound physiological effect on the body. We know that an early morning comports with greater productivity and more life success; both of which come from the required discipline of an early start.

But there’s more to it. When we take a minute to watch the sunrise, we give ourselves the ability to stop and feel gratitude for another day that lies before us. It is cliché to say our most precious commodity is time, and that tomorrow is never promised. But those who are thankful for life and take those moments to appreciate all that we’ve been given, will necessarily live a life of greater meaning and purpose.

Those mornings where the world and house are quiet, really is the best part of the day. One can think and contemplate and prepare for the day ahead and enjoy the serenity and peace during those early moments.

Watch Every Sunset

In the same way, taking a moment to stop and watch as another day ends, and see the beauty of that final golden glow as it falls below the horizon, puts into perspective the beauty of this world and life. It should cause us to pause and be thankful, and fill us with gratitude for the gift we’ve been given.

We should reflect on the victories or failings of the day, learning from both; strengthening our resolve to live with purpose and discipline, and treat time as precious.

When we look around, we see people caught up in the busyness of life. Some will spend their nights in bars drinking their life away, missing the sunset, and too hungover to wake for the sunrise; their life blurred and empty. Others will pursue the banal and mundane, filling their
“empty time” with forgettable movies or entertainment, or wasting away the moments in the worthless pursuit of video game achievements. These are the lives of meaninglessness and despair, and there is no end to the ways in which we can fritter away the days.

I have fallen for some of these in times past; watching stupid shows or scrolling on my phone, producing nothing of worth. I will not allow myself to waste the time l’ve been given, nor pursue the vapid or inane things most people value. I refuse to live as most people live; lives filled with mindless idleness and aimless folly.

I will never view a sunrise or sunset the same way again. They are markers of life that many miss. They mark our fleeting days, one after another, and if you notice them, they encourage us to stop but for a moment, to be grateful for life. No man knows the number of his days, but he should live to make the best of each one. No one will ever looking back and lament that they should have spent more time in bars drinking, or scrolling on their phone, or watching television. Every deathbed is full of regrets, and we should live now so as to minimize them when the time comes.