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Reflections

The Calming Power of a Glorious Sunset

I love a good sunset.

Well… everyone does, I’m sure.

Sunsets always leave me wondering at how such vivid colours could possibly come to blaze across the evening sky. I know there are scientific explanations for the brilliant purples, blues and pinks but I just love being in awe of a stunning sky. Sunsets make me feel small. In a good way.

They remind me of the beauty that’s out there when our world can seem so ugly at times. Full of conflict, strive, greed, selfishness. Or even just stress and wrong thinking. Negative stuff that I let myself get sucked into as well.

I’ve been a bit cranky of late, partly because work is somewhat draining at the moment but mostly it’s because of my own attitude that has allowed negative thoughts take hold of my outlook. Instead of encouraging and lifting others up, I’ve been the one whinging and whining, letting things get to me.

A couple of weeks ago along Maroochydore Beach, Sunshine Coast

Sunsets Make Me Happy

Sunsets have a calming power for me. A gloriously setting sun can wipe away crankiness, restore a sense of peace, and remind me that I am only a small part of a much bigger picture. That life is so much more than my crankiness and bad attitude, and the stuff I get irritated with is usually not worth sweating.

Sunsets remind me that I want my life to be about inspiring others, walking in kindness, extending grace and seeing other people, not through my eyes, but through my faith. And choosing to do that even when I don’t feel like it. Which has been all too often of late.

Sunset over the Inside Passage near Juneau
Coming into port at Juneau, Inside Passage, Alaska, 2016

So I’ve waded through some sunset shots that I’ve collected over the years and thought I’d share them – in chronological travel order – for some anti-crankiness inspiration. Maybe you don’t need it but this was therapeutic for me. 🙂

SUNSET PHOTO JOURNEY

One of my first sunset photos was taken in South Africa, more than ten years ago. I don’t have a ton of photos from Cape Town but this one takes me back there instantly. It’s not the typical Cape Town shot but I still know exactly where I was and who I was with…

I also remember that night in Paris vividly when my sister and I strolled around the Louvre and along the Seine basked in glorious evening light. Or when the husband and I drove along some back-country roads in the almost Outback, madly trying to avoid hitting kangaroos and cows whilst getting sidetracked by the fiery red skies…

It’s amazing how mesmerising and calming sunsets can be.

[Excuse the quality as some of the shots were taken before I even vaguely had a clue about how to use a camera… I’ve done minimal editing though so what you see is basically what I took.]

Cape Town, South Africa, 2006
On a farm near Vryheid, South Africa, 2007
Looking towards Norman Beach, Wilsons Prom, Australia, 2010
New York City, USA, 2013
Bondi Beach, Sydney
The best of my rather average Bondi Beach sunset photos. Sydney, Australia, 2014
Mount Coolum, Sunshine Coast, Australia, 2014
Somewhere in the almost Outback, Australia, 2014
Sunset
Over the River Rhine, Germany, 2015
Sunset at the Louvre, Paris
Glass pyramid entrance at the Louvre, Paris, 2015
Sunset over the river in Cotton Tree
Pier #2 along the Maroochy River, Sunshine Coast, Australia, 2016
Ladysmith, Vancouver Island, Canada, 2016
This is actually a sunrise but I think it’s gorgeous so had to include it. Along the Bow Valley Parkway, Rocky Mountains, Canada, 2016.
Maheno Shipwreck, Fraser Island, Australia, 2016

So here’s to many more beautiful sunsets that inspire, lift up and help us rise above the small stuff and live life more abundantly. Every day, not just on holidays.

What do you do to deal with negative thinking or crankiness? How do you appreciate life around you and not let small things get to you?

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7 Comments

  • Spophy
    3 March 2017 at 3:57 AM

    Hast du etwa gar keinen aus Ddorf?

    Reply
    • Kati
      3 March 2017 at 8:04 AM

      Ich hatte eins, aber das war ein Sonnenaufgang und nicht sooo schön. Hätte ich vllt trotzdem einfügen sollen. ?

      Reply
  • chewy
    26 March 2017 at 9:56 AM

    Love your photos!!! I don’t particularly watch out for sunsets that much, mostly because I grew up in the city and they were never that exciting. I always try to catch them when I travel though!

    Reply
    • Kati
      26 March 2017 at 10:14 PM

      Aw, thanks, Chewy! 🙂 Still working on the photography skills, it’s so hard to take interesting photos… I think sunsets in the country are usually much more spectacular because you get to feel the full impact of the sun blazing across the sky in amazing colours. But you can also get some nice reflections in the city, just hard to catch that. 🙂

      Reply
  • Danny
    26 April 2017 at 5:54 AM

    Wow, Kati! Even if you didn’t do much editing, these photos are gorgeous! I really like the one of Bow Valley Parkway in Canada. I’m a big mountain fan, and a perfect sunset to go with them is pretty much my dream come true. We could use some nice sunsets here in Frankfurt – it’s been cold and gray the past two weeks or so. 🙁

    Reply
    • Kati
      26 April 2017 at 6:28 PM

      Haha, thanks! I give credit to nature and the beautiful colours it produces for us. 😀 Yes, driving along the Bow Valley Parkway is pretty nice and seeing the sun basque the Rockies in that gentle pink – quite sublime.

      You know, I’ve never really been to Frankfurt (well, I arrived at the Hauptbahnhof once, stayed in some hotel near the airport and then flew out the next morning so that probably doesn’t count…) but can imagine that you could get some nice views and sunsets over that skyline. Hopefully it’ll warm up soon!!

      Reply
  • Moses
    26 October 2021 at 4:46 AM

    Beside your beautiful sunset pictures, your descriptive words are so inspiring and uplifting. It stimulates our thoughts and really makes one wonder and appreciate everything around us, while trying to be better humans.

    Reply

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