A Bayeux sunsetWhen I was a kid, summer was my favorite season. I always felt bad for my teacher on the last day of school. That was the day she lost all control of her classroom. The weather was warm, the days were long, the sun was shining. It was beckoning all of us kids to get out there and have fun. Frankly, I don’t see how she thought we could sit still through all that blessedly incessant sunshine. So, as soon as 2:38 rolled around, we were out.
The best part of summer were the especially long days. It meant I could play more. The sun didn’t set until 9:00 and twilight seemed to last for ages. There was something very enlightening about riding bikes, swimming and being out with friends at dusk. This was the time of day when memories were made, when you learned the most important lesson of youth: that trying to jump off the swing can possibly get you killed, or at least break your arm.
Across the Pacific, the mister was experiencing sunsets in Taiwan when he was a kid. Summer twilights didn’t last quite as long, but he, too, would spend a little time with his family watching the sun set.
Sunsets are fascinating, but they’re even more fascinating in different parts of the world. In France’s Bayeux, at 8:00 pm in August, the sun was still out, reminding me of summers from my childhood. Oh, how I wanted to skip with a Skip It at that moment (remember those!?). The only difference this time around was the weather. It was freezing. That didn’t seem to matter to the kids playing outside, though. They had their own version of the Skip It, the “sautez ça” (I made that up) and they were enjoying the long twilight.
Most kids, it seems, have some of the same experiences the mister and I had growing up. The last few minutes of the day are blessedly the best because it means you don’t have to go home so soon. But, it was also that marker of growing up. Every sunset marked the end of a day. Twilight was merely that point of thoughtful recognition, of what was learned and forgotten for the day. The next day, we’re a little smarter, a little older and a little more aware of who we are in life.
Traveling does that to a person, too. With each passing sunset exploring another part of the world, we become a little more wise about the world and all it has to offer. It’s part of the eternal process of growing up and growing old. Just like the sunsets from my youth taught me that it was a really bad idea to take a flying leap off the swing set, traveling has showed us just how important it is to experience life through the lens of an entirely different part of the world. These have been some of the best sunsets yet.
Ever had an awesome sunset experience? Tell us about it!
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