Dear Sunset,
Yes, you serve so many roles, and you’re still the most important part of our lives. But when you retired from your childcare duty, nothing has ever been the same.
You were more than just a signal of the end of the day. You were the guardian of our freedom. Children, all over the world, were free to roam, to explore, to experiment, as long as you watched over them. Under your softening light, we could stretch our imaginations, lose ourselves in play, until that moment – the moment when you would “ring the bell.” That was the signal we all knew: time to go home.
And how we remember the playful race we would run with you, Sunset – racing the clock, just to be home before you disappeared. You never rushed. You knew we’d stretch it out as long as we could, and yet, you always gave us just enough time. You set the rules. You determined the timeline.
But you weren’t just the “go home” call. You were the dinner bell. You were the subtle reminder that it was time to come back, that we were hungry, that it was time for nourishment – not just of the body, but of the soul, in the warmth of home and family.
Now, others have taken your place. Alarm clocks, smartphones, curfews – but they’re artificial, forced. They’re not natural. They’re not organic. They’re not universal.
No matter how hard they try, nothing will ever replace the comforting feeling of knowing you were always there. Keeping an eye on the time, even as you kept us warm in the glow of your fading light. You taught us the rhythm of the world, and we lost that when you slipped away.
To this day, wherever we are when you go down for the night, we still hear your departure as a call to go home. And no matter what, we go – deep in our hearts.
Rest in peace, Solar-Dinner-Bell. We will miss the sound of your sunset.
In loving memory,
~ The Radical Left
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When was the last time you watched the sunset and felt like it was calling you home? Drop your thoughts in the comments.