Friday, December 18, 2009

Game Friday: Sunrise or Sunset

So, we're knee-deep in the holidays. How is everyone holding up?? Keeping it together, I hope. Maybe even enjoying yourselves?

Here's the question for today. Which side of the day resonates more with you? Do you prefer to stand in the growing light of dawn and watch the sun break over the horizon? Or do you prefer to ease up to the shores of twilight and watch the last fires of orange disappear?

I'm definitely a sunset person (clarity of night and all...). I think it's partly because in some ways the day is a grind on me. The noise and bustle. The constant pressure of performance. In the evening and the night, the world changes. It shrinks. Becomes less cluttered. I feel more at peace as doors close, lights turn on in windows, and outside becomes a purer world. I recharge during that time, and the setting of the sun is my gateway.

Let's hear your thoughts in comments!

18 comments:

Terri said...

You haven't seen a sunset until you've seen the sky light up over Africa, blazing a deep and dusky orange unlike I've seen anywhere else.
Yep, I'm definitely a sunset person.
This is possibly linked to the fact that I truly resent mornings and let's face it, one has to get up fairly early to see a sunrise. Pah, that's for the birds.

Jinksy said...

Early morning hold promise and possibility in equal measure; who knows what will be achieved before nightfall? So it's sunrise for me, every time..

Karen said...

There's nothing like the sight of darkness giving way to dawn. Morning for me!

Shadow said...

sunset. it means relax. unwind. the chores are done. and those that aren't can wait. and i love the darkness of night above all...

Bernita said...

I love them both.

the walking man said...

Not to be contrary but because generally speaking I walk alone with that simple spirit within I prefer the full light of mid-day.

Whether I be out in it and with people or alone I prefer to see the bustle of the day. The time after the mornings choice of direction has been made and the hours before the results accomplished.

Sunrises I am awake for most all of them and sunsets too. But they rarely have any sense of being visible with all the houses that surround me.

Margaret said...

I love both of them. But if I had to choose, then I'd say Sunrise.
I love the peace & solitude of early morning. The expection of a new day and what it will bring.
The mind's fresh and revitalized after a good night's sleep, ready to take on the world.

Catherine Vibert said...

Can't choose because I do love sunsets, but like TWM, I have to say morning is my favorite time of day. I like to get up long before dawn. I like to be painting as the sun is rising. Or writing. I like to be writing in the morning, then turn from my computer to be shocked by the colors of the coming light. I like when my cat wakes me early because he's invigorated and glad to be alive and its morning and get up and give me treats and remember that it is SO GOOD TO BE ALIVE! Yeah. I guess I'd have to choose mornings.

Laurel said...

Sunset. Sunrise is quieter, except for birdsong, and clean. There is an undeniable peace to it. But sunset is richer, like the colors of the sunrise simmered and caramelized during the day.

Occaisonally sunset and moonrise coincide. The sun melts into a new day somewhere else while a swollen, ruddy moon watches from the opposite horizon. Both celestial bodies ride the edge of heaven while the nightime sky is born.

Of course, there is also the prosaic reality that I will only ever see a sunrise if I am still awake rather than newly risen.

DILLIGAF said...

'Do you prefer to stand in the growing light of dawn and watch the sun break over the horizon? Or do you prefer to ease up to the shores of twilight and watch the last fires of orange disappear?'

I am NOT a morning person. 'Nuff said...;-)

Ashley Ashbee said...

I'm also a night owl.

Whenever I'm outside after dark and see lights on in houses I walk by, I get jealous of the cozy domestic peace I assume the people inside must be feeling.

I've read that when the sun goes down, it activates a certain hormone that helps you start to get sleepy. Perhaps that's partly why we feel mellow and reflective at night. Maybe the night feels "pure" because it helps us release our inhibitions and become organic.

"Recharge" and "pure" are perfect verbs to describe how I feel at night. I've dealt with health issues for my entire life and since high school I've preferred the night. If I'm sick it's usually during the day and by the time night comes around, I'm feeling better and I just want to stay up and enjoy the darkness and quiet and enjoy feeling well.

SzélsőFa said...

throughout the years my answer to this question would have been a definite 'sunrise and early morning'.
now I put some more energy into exploring new ways and reflecting to new impulses, so I'd say both, with an emphasis on the sunrise.

Chris Eldin said...

Early morning for me, all the way! But the stillness of the dark (not sunset), has always called to me.
Merry Christmas to you and Aine, et al! :-)

Anonymous said...

Terri, even your description is breathtaking. :)

Jinksy, yes, dawn is the quintessential beginning.

Karen, I like how the birds wake up in stages.

Shadow, mmmmmm. :)

Bernita, fair enough.

Walking Man, contrary is your middle name. But I like that about you. There really should be a third category for those who feel the best at midday.

Margaret, your words shine!

Catvibe, I felt the vitality in your words. Jump up and embrace the day!

Laurel, so beautifully described. Vibrant, yet at peace. I too like when the moon waits at the wings of twilight.

Four Dinner, I can't say I relish breaking sleep either. Sleep is wonderful....

Loveable Homebody, welcome! You've described the feelings of coming night wonderfully. I thought it was especially moving that you felt better physically, not just emotionally.

Szelsofa, I do wonder if we drift as we age and become different people. I enjoy sunrise more than I ever would have before.

Chris, Merry Christmas to you too!! I hope you all have been well. :)

laughingwolf said...

like the old, old song: all day, all night, marianne :O lol

Anonymous said...

Being a night person, I can stay up all night for a 4:00 or 5:00 a.m. sunrise easier than I can get up early to watch. I appreciate the early morning on the rare occasions I participate in the experience, BUT it is the sunset and evening that draws me in. My private, creative and alone time is at night. And, really, there just aren't enough hours in the day for me, so I very often stay up all night AND all day. I have been living on sleep deprivation for 30 year, so it seems natural.

Vesper said...

I walk the shores of twilight, but early morning is my thing too... If only I could, I would never sleep...

Ashley Ashbee said...

Thanks for the warm welcome and comments and keep up the good work!!