Have you ever noticed how little kids always add "and a half" to the end of their age? But, have you ever heard someone say "I'm seventeen and a half," or, "I'm 47 and a half?" I certainly haven't...
Maybe that's because the younger we are, the older we want to be. Children mimic their parents and older siblings because they want to be JUST like the oh-so-impressive "big girls and boys." I know my little sister does. She wants to do everything with me and everything I do and all that good stuff.
It isn't bad, I really do like that she cares that much, but that's just my point. Small kids are so impressionable that it isn't even funny. On occasion, she does actually tell me that I'm her hero. I'm no good example for a hero. In fact, I'm probably one of the worst. However, she sees me as all that and a can of peas.
To her little nine-year-old-self, she sees me, as well as the rest of the world, as something magical, amazing, and grand.
I don't know about you, but now that I'm 19 going on 20, the clouds seem a lot closer to the ground than they did when I was a kid. Maybe it' just because I've gotten so much bigger that the world seems so much smaller than it used to. The world seemed so vast and amazing. There are times when it still feels that way. But others make it seem so simple.
We were in a Chick-Fil-A in Virginia over Christmas break and ran into a man from Minnesota (wearing a Vikings jacket) who is very close to some old friends of ours with whom we often worked closely with on little children's community plays such as "Princess and the Pea" and several (extremely cheesy) Christmas plays. The phrase "it really is a small world" comes into play and feels more true than I can comprehend on a normal day when things like that happen.
Now, in order to make the days different and magical, it's good to explore the world and yourself. I always look up at the sky and never see the same sight twice, even if it's been seconds since I last looked. No two sunsets are the same, and even one sunset changes so rapidly that if you look at a different time. Same with sunrises and noontime and midnight and any other time you look at the sky, no matter where you are.
Personally, I've always found the sunset thrilling a beautiful. (Very often, I stop and take a picture to preserve that image to look at on some dreary rainy day.) Sometimes I do feel really stupid and childish when I do those kinds of things, but I just laugh it off and continue to be amazed by the beauty.
What does it really matter if a few random people judge a college student for staring at something that happens every day?
The thing is, it doesn't.
Children go about life being themselves and just having fun, no matter what others think. One of the saddest parts of "growing up," in my opinion, is when a person starts to care. When everyone else's opinions suddenly matter, and he or she can't just be without fear of judgement.
Judgement is a thing that is learned, as is the fear of it. So, children "grow up" and stop being weird and insane. Mundane begins and boring and daily routines take over.
But the sunset isn't a daily thing. It would be if it were the same every day. It isn't. So take a minute to stop and take in the sunset. Smell the roses. Play around. Laugh. Lick the spoon. Act "childish" from time to time. Every sunset is different. Every day is different. Every person is different.
My name is Hannah M. Haugen. I'm a freshman student at Mary Baldwin College and I enjoy watching the sunset and taking photos of everyday life, among other things. I'm 19 and a half years old.
Who are you?
Hannah Haugen
The Daily Blahgger
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