There’s something about a sunset that stops me in my tracks. When the sky starts blushing streaks of pink and orange, I find myself craving a rooftop or a drive to the beach. It feels like a time to just stop what I’m doing, wherever I am, and just stay present to watch the beautiful yet fleeting moment.Â
As winter quarter fades into spring, I’ve been thinking a lot about transitions. From the shift from dark and chilly mornings to longer and brighter days all the way to the larger transition from college to the uncertain postgrad horizon, these changes have been pervasive in my daily life. These moments of in-between, where one chapter ends and leads into the next are exciting but also deeply tender and vulnerable.Â
Much like sunsets, transitions hold a unique duality of being both an ending and a beginning. There is a certain sadness of leaving behind what is known and the comfort of those routines. However, there is also the promise and anticipation of what lies ahead.Â
Chasing sunsets has become a quiet ritual for myself during these times of change. Not only are they beautiful sights, but they also provide a sense of reassurance in uncertain times. Whenever the sun dips below the horizon, it leaves behind beautiful colors in the night sky, and I find comfort in knowing that it will rise once again the next morning. It reminds me of how all of these transitions in life, no matter how uncertain and frightening they may feel, are part of a natural cycle. We let go of past chapters and take them with us forward into new ones, and in between, there is beauty in the transitions themselves when we step back and take a minute to appreciate them.Â
Even with the small, ordinary changes and transitions in life – between seasons, classes, schools, or jobs – there is a certain beauty that can be found. These changes and transitions shape us in ways that are often invisible in the moment. These in-between moments carry a weight and beauty all of their own, from the laughter and tears shared with family and friends before moving or parting ways, the bittersweet feeling of your last class at school, to the anticipation before stepping into your uncertain future.
As my final quarter at UCLA inches closer and graduation looms, I find myself chasing more sunsets than ever. Sometimes this means convincing my friends with cars to drive me to the beach for a sunset adventure, but sometimes it’s just calling for my roommate in the other room to look out the window. Maybe it’s my way of holding on to the present a bit longer, or it could be a way of reminding myself that every ending is one step closer to a new beginning. Either way, as dusk nears, I will find my closest viewpoint and keep watching, embracing the beauty of what is and what is yet to come.Â