Waking up to Garbage: December 26

December 26, 2001 — 7:25am

Scattered clouds orchestrate a spectacular sunrise. First a crimson swath just above the horizon accompanied by a gentle pink glow. Then a huge angry orange lightshow—a postcard hawker's conception of a beautiful dawn. Finally, when the sun crests the horizon, the colors begin the settle into the opalescent early morning that I like best.

It took me a while to realize that not every jaw-dropping natural phenomenon is about beauty. In fact, many a showy sunrise or sunset is visually highly unappealing, even as they are astonishing and worth exclaiming over. The same is true for the height of fall color. Living in a world on fire, flaming orange everywhere, is nice for a moment or two, just about.

.                     

Photos Marijke Rijsberman, 2001

Back to Waking Up to Garbage