I made a deal with myself to make more of an effort to watch the day's sunset. I've missed a lot for sitting indoors, and it occurred to me that I'd become indifferent to something special.
I drove to a nearby hill top that has the best view in town, with the San Gabriel mountains on one side and downtown on the other. I got there a little early and I was standing around waiting for the sun to set. There was a lot of trash on the ground. The hill top is a popular party spot with the kids. I can hear them sometimes at night yelling and laughing. The sight of the trash made me angry. How sad, that people don't know enough to clean up after themselves. I was stewing in it when I realized that if I showed up every day to see the sunset and picked up ten pieces of trash it would eventually be gone. And if I brought two or three friends and they picked up ten pieces it would be gone quicker. I felt better having figured out a solution to the problem.
I grew impatient standing there. I didn't want to wait for the sunset anymore, so I got in my car and drove off. I knew it was going to be a sunset for the record books, but the ten or fifteen minute wait seemed daunting to me. I had driven a short distance away when I asked myself, what's more important, me getting ready to go out and play music, or the sunset? I turned my car around and drove back to watch the sunset.
After all, our lives depend on it.
