The ever-changing season is always the wonder
The Sunset on July 16: Photo by the Author Akemi Sagawa
The large window in our living room is facing west.
Weather permitted, from this window, I can see the roofs of the neighboring houses, evergreen trees that have grown so tall in the last 25 years, the quiet surface of Puget Sound, the shore of Bainbridge Island, and the snow-capped Olympic Mountains.
Enjoying the sunset from this window is one of my secret joys. I love traveling and am always mesmerized by the beautiful sceneries of every exotic place I visit, but the sunset from our living room remains top of the list.
In Seattle, whose latitude is 47.60 N, the sun doesn’t set until 9 pm on the summer solstice, and it sets at 4 pm on the winter solstice. The contrast between the long days in the summer and the short days in the winter is so much greater than that of Osaka, my hometown (the latitude is 34.68 N).
Not only the length of the daytime but the contrast of where the sun sets is also drastic.
I wish I had better photos, but I hope these three photos taken from the same window in my living room help you get the idea.
When the days are long, the sun sets further north in the mountains, on the right side of the photo. (See the photo above taken on July 16.)
The sunset on September 19: photo by Author Akemi Sagawa
Near the equinox, the sun sets in the middle, due west.
As the days are getting shorter, the sun sets further south in the mountains, on the left side of the photo.
The sunset on October 27: Photo by Author Akemi Sagawa
The ever-changing position of the sunset with the change of the season reminds me of the impermanence of life. For billions of years, this cycle of sunset has been continuing.
Compared to this almost eternal cycle, my life on earth is so minuscule. How lucky I am to be able to experience this awe, considering how minuscule my existence is.