As the sun sets
The other night I was driving home with Jack and the sun was starting to set. Jack was getting upset because he didn’t want it to be night time, that meant it would be time for bed soon, and he wanted to go visit his cousins instead of sleeping. We were set to go to his cousins house the next day, so I told him he had to let the sun set otherwise he wouldn’t get to see him. He got mad and wanted it to be time to visit right then, but I said if we visited at this time then he wouldn’t get to see them for very long, because everyone had to go to sleep soon.
We hold onto things and ideas we want very tightly. We know what we want to do, and we want it to happen now. We can see the good things, we just aren’t there yet. And going through and waiting is always hard. And when what we have to wait through is the darkness, which can be unpredictable it’s even harder.
Sometimes it feels like the thing we want to happen. The thing is we have to allow that to be an option. We have to let go of the day, we have to let the sun set, and make it through the night if we ever want to see a new day. If we never move into the night, if we settle for less than the best, then we make it harder on ourselves. If we hold on and force things to fit inside a mold that they don’t really belong in, the mold will eventually break or the things inside of it will. We have to fight for things, and we have to know what we want, but we have to let things be as well. The sun sets for a reason. Nothing would survive without the night. We couldn’t strengthen our roots, we would turn brittle and break if we didn’t have the nights to cool the skies. And even though the dark can be scary, it also has a beauty that’s nearly unsurpassed. We can see more of the universe in the dark than we can in the day. We can use that time to hone our dreams, to find our path. But only if we let the sun set on today.
Posted on August 7, 2012, in Uncategorized and tagged hope, inspiration, letting go, motivation, sunset. Bookmark the permalink. 58 Comments.
keep it up
Thank you for this Awesome post.
Thank you for stopping by and reading it!! 🙂
good imagination, Laurenc…..
Thanks 🙂
Very inspiring, great!
Thank you!! 🙂
Very wise. We spend our lives learning when to persist, when to accept.
That’s very true! 🙂
Excellent post! (I read it twice).
Ha, thank you! I’m glad you liked it so much 🙂
Lauren- I nominated you for the beautiful blogger award. I’m sure you’ve received it many times over, but you had to be one of my nominees. Your words always speak to me.
~Becky
🙂 Thank you!
Your analogy about what would happen without the night to rejuvenate us is brilliant and so true! Great message – thank you!
Thank you, I’m glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
Beautiful photo and wise post! Thanks for stopping by my blog.
Thank you very much and for stopping by here as well 🙂
Love this line …”And even though the dark can be scary, it also has a beauty that’s nearly unsurpassed. We can see more of the universe in the dark than we can in the day.” and this one …”The thing is we have to allow that to be an option. We have to let go of the day, we have to let the sun set, and make it through the night if we ever want to see a new day.”
Great post !! I need this reminder on a regular basis but I love the way you helped us visualize the process ! Thank you !
Thank you so much ! I really appreciate that 🙂
Wonderful post, thank you, I needed that.
🙂 I’m glad you liked it!
A beautiful meditation on a life lesson as demonstrated through the eyes of a child. I love your way of reflecting on your daily experiences. 🙂
Thank you very much! That’s very kind of you! 🙂
Beautiful, insightful post. Indeed, “to every thing there is a season….”
Thank you. “There is a season… ” one of my favorite verses! 🙂
Outstanding and timely.
Thank you! 🙂
Oh yes, letting go and going with the flow often allows us to make things better, allows us to get the best eventually. Without the dark there is no light, even if it is sometimes hard to admit.
That’s the truth. There can’t be light without it. 🙂 Thanks for sharing that!
Well said! I agree that we must know and fight for what we want, but we cannot force the pace – we are not masters of time.
Equally, we have to allow things to conclude. If today doesn’t die, then tomorrow cannot be born.
You are right!! Thank you 🙂
Simply Awesome !
Thank you!!
I used to tell my kids sleep was like re-charging batteries – it gave them the energy for the next day…sometimes it worked too. LOL
Ha, I will see if Jack is willing to accept that next time! 🙂
Oh…. you’ve hit the nail on the head again… and made me think of two things I often remind myself of in my situation…
…the darkest hour comes before the dawn… and…
..without darkness there would be no starlight….
Yes, the steepest climb exists just before the peak!
I love what you wrote about the mould breaking…a metaphor for ourselves breaking when we hold onto what we think we should be instead if who we are.
That’s true! We have to let ourselves be who we are if we are to become who we want to be.
You’re right about letting go sometimes being the best thing to do…to move on to the next phase of life…Diane
yes, can’t move on without it! 🙂
What a gorgeous sunset! And a beautiful post – you expressed your thoughts so well – great!!
Thank you so much!! 🙂
I apologize for the grammatical errors, I hate those, on a plane and lost me glasses, so guessing at the keyboard
Haha!! I completely understand!
Lauren,wonderful picture. You have tried captured the essence of dealing explaining reality and time to someone that only knows now. It comes with mixed feelings. The need to teach Jack the realities of the real world, and the desire the encourage his wide eyed optimism.
I miss those moments with my daughter, she is now beyond my influence. But she is also doing well.
I have no doubt you will give Jack the base be needs, close you eyes when he jumps, and smile when he returns and says “Thanks, Mom”
There is no higher compliment
I’m going to try!!! It’s hard, but hopefully it will all work out 🙂 I have faith it will!
Nice post Lauren. I understand what you were explaining her but I think I picked something up that is a little off topic. One thing I got from this is that we always want the biggest and the best; but if we stop to take the time to do all the little things they add up and are worth it. Patients is key when you’re doing both big and small things but the little ones add up and make the biggest achievements.
Hope Jack wasn’t too upset with you.
He fell asleep and was fine 🙂 Patience is definitely key, and you are right about the small things as well. Thanks for sharing that!
i love your parallels and this sure spoke to me in an area where i’m struggling, thank you!
🙂 I’m glad.
I heard today that the “miracle happens in the breaking” (like the breaking of bread in Christian belief). Your discussion of night reminds me of this. Darkness must be part of the picture. Nicely done.
That’s a great way to put it. They do, very often seem to! I hope you are right! 🙂
I love this. Thanks for sharing. Everything I tell my 2 year old daughter is based on the sun either going up or setting. We teach anticipation of events based on the diurnality.
Haha! That’s a good tip!
This is an amazing picture. We need to let go of so many things, but we must hold onto Divinity. The love of the world and of the Divine is what makes this world beautiful.
Such great statements!! You’re right, thank you 🙂
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