When I tell people about my experience of seeing my first sunrise, they tell me I am full of it. They tell me it is not worth being awake at 5 a.m. and that they would rather just see a sunset.
But what they do not see is the symbolism of sunrise and why it is so breathtaking. I am here today to tell you how worthwhile it is to go see a sunrise.
A few years ago on family vacation, I spontaneously decided to walk to the beach at 5 a.m. to see the sunrise. When I made the decision, I did not realize how shook I would be afterward. I did not know I would be put to tears. I did not know that morning would be one of the most beautiful and surreal mornings I had lived thus far.
Upon arriving at the beach, the sun was peaking up over the Atlantic Ocean. It was a red line hovering over the horizon. There was no life on the beach, and the sand was cold.
As the sun began to rise, I realized that I was witnessing the beginning of something new, a new day.
As the sun began to rise a bit higher, ocean fishermen began to arrive for early morning fishing, the seagulls began to fly around, and old couples began to walk down the beach with their coffee in hand. The beach went from me being the only life, to becoming more and more lively as the sun rose higher above the ocean.
The meaning behind watching the sunrise that day was overwhelming. I did not know that I would witness the start of something new. After watching the sunrise, I felt as if I had a clean slate, as if everything that was wrong before had been resolved. I was so excited to continue on with that day.
Since I saw that sunrise, it has been made clear to me that every day is a new day. There is no reason to dwell on negative things from the past. I am not saying that each and every day, you forget about important tough things in life. I am saying to move on from negativity and realize that a bad day should not turn into a bad week, month, year, or life.
I am not kidding. Go see a sunrise, it is so worth it!