I come from a small town called Dublin, New Hampshire. It is a quaint town and a very nice place to live, and I love it very much. However, in every single direction you look, there are tall trees. This is not a bad thing by any means. I love being surrounded by nature when I am back home. When I am at UMass though, I can actually see the sunsets. They are not completely blocked by hundreds of trees, which means I can see the beautiful colors streak the whole sky.
Many UMass students will agree that they witnessed some of the most gorgeous sunsets on our campus. However, when we are granted this beauty every day, we often take it for granted. I have missed many sunsets because I was in class, hanging out with friends or due to bad weather. There have been some days where I was in a bad mood, and ignored the beautiful sunset happening right before my eyes.
As the spring semester begins to wrap up, I realize that there are a limited number of sunsets left for me to see. I will be back next fall, so these next few weeks are not my last UMass sunsets ever. However, it made me realize that recognizing the blessings in life often happens through comparison. I was so amazed by the first UMass sunset I ever saw because I was not used to seeing the sky streaked with such vibrant color. I am able to recognize the beauty because I can compare it to all my other sunset-less nights. Now that I am returning to the land of the moose in a few weeks, I am reminded that I will not get to witness these sunsets for a long time.
(Photo credit for this one goes to my friend Ryan Kramer!)
They say that if you want to know what someone fears losing the most, just look at what they frequently photograph. I try to take a picture of the sunset every time I witness it nowadays. I am not afraid that I won't see another sunset tomorrow. In fact, I am fairly confident that I will witness many more sunsets in my life. I am mostly afraid that I will take the ordinary miracle of the UMass sunset for granted. Since beautiful sunsets have been a daily occurence, I forgot that many people across the world do not get to see such consistent and reliable beauty.
Soon I will not have the privilege of seeing a UMass sunset everyday. This makes me sad for multiple reasons, but it also fills me with hope. It's a reminder that my freshman year is almost over, but my time at UMass is not. I have made some wonderful memories here, and I am confident that I will continue to grow and learn as I spend three more years at UMass.
So I encourage you all to admire the sunsets while you can. Then in the fall, be prepared to be blown away by the first beautiful UMass sunset of Fall 2016.
