What’s the last time you saw a sunrise?
Sunsets are relatively easy to catch even if most people don’t pay much attention to. But most people have way fewer encounters of sunrise. I can count four sunrise moments I remember and each memory is vivid with details and colors.
#1 Sunrise at Mount Hengshan (南岳衡山) #
When I was a kid, my mom took me to visit the famous mountain 南岳衡山. We stayed near Banshan Pavilion (the area halfway up the peak), and got up around 3am to hike to the top for sunrise. I don’t know if that’s my first sunrise experience, but it’s the earliest one I can remember. I remember we had to wear rented long winter jackets though it’s in summer time. We hiked in the half-dark and reached the top around 5am. I remember the Sun looked like an extremely red egg yolk, slowly poking above the mountains, and then suddenly jumped out from the horizon.
#2 Rooftop Camping with Mom #
The second time was probably in my elementary school. My mom and I went to visit great grandma also in hot summer time. I learned that it was an option to sleep on the rooftop as long as my mom agreed to “camping” with me together. She agreed and I was overjoyed! I fantasized about watching stars to fall asleep and wake up by sunrise. As the night fell, the temperature dropped, the coolness of the summer night breeze felt calming and soothing. When mom woke me up in the morning, I remember the morning dew droplets sitting on the plants so crystal clear. The sun was rising against the backdrop of residential buildings quietly. When it’s above the horizon, I really felt I saw a smiley face of the Sun, you know, like the ones you typically see from kids’ drawings or cartoons.
#3 Sunrise Yoga in Honolulu, Hawaii #
The third time was in Hawaii. I typically wake up around 7:30am during weekdays and 8:30am during weekends. So I’ve never been a 5am club person. But my friend signed us up for a sunrise yoga class while we were staying at the Disney resort in Oahu. I’m so glad she did! We put yoga mats on the green grass facing the Pacific Ocean. The sky was indigo, we listened to our breaths as well as waves. Right before the Sun pushed out the clouds, the sky turned into purple and pink hues. It was beauty beyond words. And the ocean was anticipating and celebrating with ebb and flow.
#4 Sunrise in Kauai, Hawaii #
The fourth time was in Kauai with my husband — then my boyfriend. We were there for a friend’s wedding. He is not an early riser either but I told him that most people can count their sunrise experiences on a single hand. So we got up early one morning, walked to the coast, and waited.
How Many More? #
I think about Ryuichi Sakamoto’s question sometimes — the one he borrowed from Paul Bowles: how many more times will you watch the full moon rise? Maybe twenty more times. And yet it all seems limitless.
How many more sunrises will I see in my life?