Look quick before it's gone

And catching every bit of life

Kathryn A. LeRoy

Feb 19, 2022

Bright orange and grey clouds of a sunset with dark shadow of the trees below — Sunset on February 18, 2022 © Kathryn LeRoy

Hello friends,

The most stunning sunsets occur in the fall and winter. In a matter of a few minutes, you can watch a free color show gracing the close of any day.

We have the good fortune to live in an area where we see the open sky. Storms and sunsets never fail to entertain our simple lives.

So what causes those brilliant colors to flash across the sky? I went on a research expedition to understand the science of sunsets.

Orange and yellow streaks in the sunset with dark blue-grey sky with the city lights and a single tall building in the middle of the scene — Sunset in San Antonio, Texas © Kathryn LeRoy

As a daily watcher of sunsets, I can assure you that the scene changes every moment, no, every few seconds. Running after my camera, I’ve missed some of nature’s best evening light shows.

When I was a child, time crept along. Now, every year speeds by, and I want to shout, “STOP!” Which, of course, doesn’t do much good. I find it more satisfying to enjoy each fleeting moment and as many sunsets as I can squeeze into this lifetime.

I’m always looking before it’s gone.

Have you ever wondered if you can have a meaningful life doing nothing? The answer is yes, but not in the way you may think. My review of Jenny O’Dell’s How to Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy will give you some ideas.

Find out more about the Science of Beautiful Sunsets. If you want to chuckle during a more expanded science lesson, try this episode where Neil deGrasse Tyson explains “The Sunset Illusion.”

Contemporary music played on a cello offers a new perspective. The duo called 2Cellos transform Ed Sheeran’s Perfect.

“Change is the one unavoidable, irresistible, ongoing reality of the universe.” —Octavia Butler

Find a little wonder this week.

With gratitude,

Kathryn

The sun peers out behind the blue-grey and yellowish clouds against a blue sky and a lake partially hidden behind pine trees at the bottom of the photo. — Another Sunset to Remember © Kathryn LeRoy

Thanks for reading. Feel free to forward this weekly note to someone who would enjoy a few words of inspiration. And I always welcome your thoughts, so you can…