African Sunsets

African Sunsets


The first time i saw the African sunset, i was driving like a mad man in a rental car on the dirt roads of the Kruger park, trying to reach the gates before they closed and i was forced to spend the night with the animals or pay a ridiculously expensive fine... I made it. And i also witnessed for the first time that small
miracle.

Now, many years gone by, i live a bit up the African continent in Ghana, partly because of that sunsent in Kruger park, partly because i ended up here brought by destiny and a large dose of curiosity. Ghana has been good to me. I met my lovely wife Patricia here and my son was born here almost two years ago (time does move faster sometimes).
Yesterday, i witnessed the magical African sunset again. And you might think, i am here, i must see this every day. Wrong. I am here, but between the busy life i lead and the brief nature of the event, i manage to miss it daily. Furthermore there are days when you do look at the sky and see and other days when your mind is just not there.

So i was sitting at the steps of this friends couple, Paul and Angela, and i saw it again.
The sunset is  likely the single most difficult thing to explain in works, so let me try my best.

The sky here is of a light blue with no clouds. Always, apart from when it is dark grey just before the thunderstorms.
On that light blue sky an orange bright ball shows up. It really shows up, just like that, there it is.
Then the sky melts like butter on a frying pan transforming the light blue sky in a cocktail of orange and blue. At the same time the temperature reduces from the excruciating heat that is a constant here to a milder version. Like a headache we then realize how much hot it was when it gently goes away and a warmth good feeling surrounds you. Just when you are starting to enjoy this unique magical moment, the Orange ball, that was the Sun after all, disappears into a secret opening in the sky. The whole thing takes less then five minutes. When it is Hamatan time, the northern desert sands are all over the air making it fuzzy, not as much as fog more like an old window that distorts the view outside. This makes the last part of the sunset even more mysterious  as we cannot really understand how this massive fiery ball that seconds ago dominated the vast horizon has managed to vanish in the dust.

The thing about the African sunset is that, once you have witnessed one, it stays with you for life. There is something special about it, a glimpse of perfection and beauty that even if you have a stone cast heart will touch you.

Yesterday, my wife took me to this mission from our friends Angela and Paul to help feed 400 children that have really not had much beauty in their lives. I went with her, because i would follow her giant heart to the depths of the ocean, i guess this is my notion of marriage.
As i looked at the sunset, after all the fun and fuss and the feeding and the playing, the sheer view of the smiles on those kids eyes was ten times more intense than any African sunset.
 Whilst we drank a darn good coffee made by Angela, sitting on the steps watching this orange ball disapear i was thinking on my Christmas wish for all of you out there.

This Christmas, make your own African sunsets. Get closer to that feeling of perfection and beauty, simply by going out of your way and giving from the heart, without thinking too much. Don't worry you will know when and what to do, actually you will feel it, just go with that feeling!

Merry Christmas to you all.
Santos

To Patricia my love, Paul and Angela : thank you for yesterday.May your giant hearts be strong enough to continue their quests.The world needs more of you.