Whenever I saw a sunset, I would quietly make my secret wish right before the sun tucked under the western horizon and disappeared. It would seem as if the sun had taken my wish with it. I’d make it right before the last speck of light vanished.
–Michael Jackson, Moonwalk
It seems like I’ve been wishing on sunsets forever.
Whenever I see the soft orange glow of the fading day, I feel an unmistakably strong connection with the world at large.
Just think–this incredible sight is on display for all the people and animals in the world. Maybe not at the exact same time. Maybe not with the same perspective. But it is a gift we all have access to.
It’s for the youngest and the oldest of us. The richest and the poorest. The weakest and the most powerful.
It is ours to enjoy freely.
So I fiercely make my wish as the last sliver of light disappears.
Is That a Thing?
I’m not sure when I first learned about wishing on a sunset. It might have been from Michael Jackson’s quote, I’m not really sure. But I have figured out it’s not a common practice.
My habit of wishing on sunsets draws lots of questions.
“Oh, is that a thing?”
I shrug my shoulders and say, “Yes. Don’t you wish on the sunset?”
Well…No. Apparently, most people do not, in fact, wish on sunsets.
We wish on birthday candles and shooting stars. We even wish on blue moons. But all those things are not common occurrences.
“Once in a blue moon” literally means very rarely. A birthday only comes round once a year. I can’t tell you the last time I saw a shooting star.
But the sun sets every night. Without fail. No matter what. Even if obscured by storm clouds, the sun will set.
Some may think that makes it ordinary, less special.
I think it makes it powerfully magical.
The Magic of a Sunset Wish
Darkness replaces day when dusk creeps in. It’s like a curtain falling after the final act. The day is done. No alterations or adjustments. It’s time to move on.
The sunset doesn’t care what happens during the day. Its colors aren’t regulated by how much was accomplished or how much was earned. Its brightness doesn’t depend on how nice I was or how many things I checked off my ‘to-do’ list. My successes and failures hold no meaning to the sunset.
Each sunset brings the promise of a fresh start tomorrow.
A new dawn; a new day.
This is like an Aladdin’s lamp with never-ending wishes. I can make a new beautiful wish every single day.
If today I successfully took a small step towards my next goal, I will probably wish for the ability to reach the next step. And then the next. And the next. A wish for momentum.
If today didn’t work out quite how I hoped, guess what I will wish for? A fresh start. A new chance. A different ending for tomorrow.
The thing to remember is today will never happen again. Good, bad, or mediocre: today is gone.
Infinite, untapped possibilities fill tomorrow.
Take a moment to make a wish on the next sunset you see. Fill your mind with every wonderful, fantastical hope you can think of. You are not constrained to pick just one wish when your birthday rolls around on the calendar, when you lose an eyelash, or when you pull on a wishbone.
Sunset wishes are continuous.
Every day is an opportunity for a new wish.
Let the setting sun tuck your secret wish into the horizon as it brings the day to an end.
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