This Beautiful Sunset Gave Me Perspective When I Needed It Most
An enchanting world as seen from my tiny rooftop in Chennai, India
The view from my rooftop has always been one of my favorites. Years ago, I used to be able to see the mighty ocean — the Bay of Bengal, right from a little nook on my terrace. But, as the buildings and structures around me abounded, the view diminished into a faint layer.
So I was forced to turn to the other side of my terrace, the one facing the roads, the huge mass of buildings, the sky, and a tall mobile tower. It isn’t a bad view. But something changed in the Lockdown period of 2020.
I’ve always been attentive to the sky, fantasizing about floating on the huge, fluffy clouds. But the quarantine sunsets were just different. Incredibly different. And this particular one was the most fascinating of them all.
My Worlds Collided and the Skies Followed
June 4, 2020, was just another day spent in a total lockdown. I had gotten into the habit of walking around on my terrace, listening to music, as the evening set in. And the evening of June 4 was dreamily splendid.
I paced around my terrace, restless and anxious since I was going through major shifts in my career and my personal life. I was planning to start content writing and digital marketing as a serious profession. I was breaking up an unhealthy relationship and moving on to find my peace.
It felt like my head was bursting, like I was under the weight of the universe, and I couldn’t take it another minute.
That’s when I stopped and looked up. I looked up to see the most magnificent sunset I have ever seen before.
From a particular angle, it looked like the skies parted at the mobile tower and smoked out of the very top. On the left was an ominous, darker shade of grey/blue. On the right was a glorious orange/yellow streaming through the sky.
It was almost as if the sky mirrored how I was feeling at that exact instance — torn between two contrasting, equally intense scenes.
The Turmoil Eventually Ends and Settles Down
As I kept staring, utterly mesmerized by the sights before me, the brighter rays pierced the clouds and filled the entire sky. And let me just tell you, those golden clouds were the most ethereal wonder I have ever seen to date.
As sappy as it seems that I learned so much from a few minutes of staring at the sky, it’s kind of true.
I realized that eventually, I would be okay. Time would heal me as it passes and I would learn to grow around my pain. I would grow through the discomfort and come out of it better than I was. Eventually, I too could be as beautiful as the sky before me.
Okay, maybe that last part is a little excessive. But you get what I mean.
I did grow through my pain and become a professional writer. I clawed my way out of that pit of despair to find happiness and peace in better relationships. It took time and a whole lot of work, but it happened.
The Chaos Is Tough, but It Makes One Hell of a Story
Sure, the darkness on the left from before was dreary and intimidating, but it’s part of the magic. It’s part of what makes a brilliant picture, a fantastic story of morphing into the bright shades I saw later.
So, why do I sit around waiting for my skies to clear up? I can’t keep waiting for that time when the gold appears and forget to be happy through the times when darkness looms. It’s not going to be all dark, but it’s not going to be all sunshine either.
Sometimes, the blues are going to take over. They might fill up my skies and bring the unknown to me.
It’s going to be a huge mix of dark and light — mad, sad, happy, excited, every emotion under the sun. And I have to learn to love myself and live through each of those, as they come.
If you’re thinking “Girl, you got all that from a sunset?”, I get you. It wasn’t just the sunset, of course. This was the culmination and the dawning(ironic since the sun was setting) of a lot of basic lessons I’ve learned from a very young age. But sometimes, it just takes an extra push to fully realize the meaning of those lessons and grow.
This sunset was that moment for me. I genuinely hope you have your own too.
