The rays of the sun filtered into the room through the blinds and the whole room turned eerily bright. The rays were akin to streaks of liquid gold lighting up and putting a sparkle on all things in its path. The specks of dust danced with joy, basking in the aureate hues, as if coming to life with gay abandon. There seemed to be cheer all around as the summer sun dazzled the world.
I love the way the sun shines bright and high in the sky, bathing the world in an illuminating light! I do know it gets hotter and uncomfortable if we stay out too long in the sun, I know a harsh sun can dehydrate and kill but I can’t help being in love with the sun!
As the mellow morning sun slowly rises up over the horizon, it lovingly spreads a pale yellow shroud over the land and all its people. It reminds me of a mom gently pulling the duvet over her kids in the early morn, as her day begins but wants her children to stay cosily in bed.
Over the slumbering world
Just as she lingers around a tad long, looking at her children sleeping peacefully, I imagine the sun hovering fondly over the slumbering world.
The scientific temper in me, developed over many years of pursuing the sciences, cautions me and dampens my imagination and fantasies. It reminds me that the sun is a huge ball of burning gases throwing out solar flares now and then and not a benevolent parent that I fancy it to be.
This fact too fascinates me to no end! Just the thought that it has been burning for aeons and will continue to do so for another five billion years is simply mind blowing. Aren’t we the lucky ones to be at the optimum distance away from the sun, neither too close nor too far, so that we are able to live this beautiful life?
The sun sustains life on the earth and is the one constant in our life that we can look up to every morning, though it looks different throughout the day and the year.
The changing faces of the sun appearing over a tapestry of colours and hues add to the magic and mystique!
Breaking out from sorrowful minds
Sometimes covered by dark clouds, the rays of the sun seep through the inky blackness, creating an illuminated path and beam all the way down. The rays look white and pristine symbolising hope breaking out from sorrowful minds.
At times, it is a blazing orange-red spreading an austere glow, all over, bringing peace and calm but and then we may see it as flashing steel, blinding us, forcing us to look away.
The afternoon summer sun is the most difficult to behold and it sends down intense light and heat incessantly. As children we would shade our eyes with our hands and look at the sun through gaps between the fingers. I have never enjoyed looking at the sun with sunshades on as it distorts the beautiful, natural look of this ‘star’.
The evening sun setting over the sea may qualify as one of the most wondrous sights that this universe can ever offer. The tufts and streaks of multicoloured clouds, the birds, the reflections in the sea add a resplendence that can be rivalled only by the morning sun rising above the sea.
With changing seasons, the sun seems to change too though we often fail to realise that it is the filters through which we see the sun which keeps changing.
When the sun emerges from behind the dark clouds after a heavy rain, it looks very bright and shiny and has the look of someone who has appeared with a smile to console and wipe away the tears of the mother earth.
As the rays of the sun caress the freshly washed leaves of the trees and kiss the wet mud, the earth once again rejuvenates and rejoices through its plants and flowers.
A subdued sun
In winter as the rays of the morning sun struggle to reach us through the thick fog, the air takes on all kinds of hues. The sun looks subdued, devoid of its ferocity and I love looking at it as it doesn’t blind me anymore. The evening sun in winter has a cool warmth which embraces us like a soft rug and reassures us that no matter what, our existence in this frame of time and space is indeed worth it.
I believe, I will never tire of looking at the sun and marvelling at it. I know there are billions of suns in the cosmos and ours is a small one but for us this sun is the life — giver, the harbinger of a good day, the very symbol of life and cheer.
When I look up at the sun and see it shining down on us, I get the feeling that all’s well with the world and if it’s not, there’s still hope beaming towards us.
As I stand watching the changing faces of the sun, I get overcome with an indescribable cocktail feeling of joy, wistfulness and oneness with this cosmos. We are all stars in our own right as there’s a bit of stardust in all of us!
Annie Mathew is an educator based in Dubai
