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Adventures Life Lessons

How I Learned to Appreciate the Sunrise

As I was sitting on the Royal Caribbean Liberty of the Seas, one of the world’s most luxurious cruise ships, I found myself immersed in the stillness of the morning. I like to meditate in the morning and wait for the world to wake up. The peacefulness of that time is transcendental, and it’s during these moments that I’ve come to appreciate the sunrise.

The sunrise isn’t just about the sun. The most beautiful aspect of the sunrise is how it interacts with everything else: the clouds, the sky, and the water. The sunrise isn’t static; it’s an event, a transformation of night into day. The colors change every minute, reflecting off the clouds and the ocean, creating a symphony of light and shadow.

Sunrise is fundamentally different from sunset. While sunset is often a slow, luxurious fade into evening—something to enjoy over cocktails—sunrise is abrupt and dramatic. It’s as if God switches on a light, and suddenly the world is alive. Before sunrise, I see the infrastructure of the world before it fully powers up, like glimpsing the hidden code behind The Matrix.

Right before and after sunrise and sunset are two beautiful times of day. The light is fundamentally different from any other times of day. These moments are known as “blue hour” and “golden hour.”

  • Blue hour is the time just before sunrise or after sunset when the sun is below the horizon, and the sky takes on a deep blue hue. This light is soft and diffused, casting everything in a cool, serene glow that feels almost otherworldly.
  • Golden hour follows blue hour and occurs when the sun is low in the sky, either just after sunrise or just before sunset. The light is warm and golden, creating long shadows and enhancing the colors of everything it touches. Photographers and artists often chase this light because it adds a magical quality to their work.

But I need to be in the moment. The iPhone, or most smartphones for that matter, takes awful pictures of sunrise and sunset. These devices struggle to capture the dynamic range of light and color that we see. The intense contrast between the bright sun and the surrounding sky often leads to washed-out colors or underexposed areas in photos, making it hard to replicate the beauty we see in person.

Sunrise isn’t the first sign of light. The earliest signs of light appear at dawn, marking the beginning of morning twilight. This subtle, gradual increase in light sets the stage for the main event—the sunrise. It’s a gentle prelude that hints at the brilliance to come. The most exciting part is when a couple of clouds catch the light, glowing as if they were on fire.

And don’t be fooled by the seeming slowness of the sunrise; the sun rises faster than you’d think once it hits the horizon. The sunrise is like someone once described going bankrupt. It happens in two ways, gradually and then all at one. Once it begins its ascent, it quickly climbs higher in the sky. Within minutes, the sun can go from just peeking over the horizon to shining brightly overhead, transforming the entire scene in what feels like the blink of an eye.

Every moment during during the sunrise is different. This sense of impermanence—the fleeting beauty of the sunrise—serves as a powerful reminder of life’s transitory nature. The glint of the sun off of a specific cloud will disappear in the blink of an eye. There’s no more powerful reminder of grasping all the ephemerical, precious moments in life and finding joy in the present moment.

This experience has reminded me that no matter where I am, whether on a luxurious cruise ship or standing on the shore, nature has a way of grounding us and offering moments of profound beauty. It’s ironic that on this cruise with such wonderful food and entertainment, I was able to get this new appreciation of nature. It’s easy to get caught up in the distractions of life, but witnessing something as simple yet powerful as a sunrise reminds me of the world’s inherent beauty and the importance of taking a moment to truly appreciate it.