Sunrise or Sunset?

“Sunrise or sunset?” asked Joshua, a stranger/friend I met on the train.

I looked at him in confusion as I was lost in my own thoughts. “What??”

He then repeated his question, “Do you like sunrise or sunset?”. While asking me his question though, he didn’t look at me; he was watching the beautiful sunset outside through the big glass window on our side. I followed his gaze to see one of the most beautiful sunsets, and the light was flooding through the glass to fill our coach.

I wanted to feel the breeze, so I ask him if we can go and stand by the door. I was also tired of the AC.

“You didn’t answer my question yet”, he said.

“Well, what do you like?” I asked. Then he came up with the most classic reply.

“Well, I asked you first. Also, ladies first!”

“Fine” I huffed, letting out an exasperated sigh. “I like.. Sunrise. I know you are going to ask me why, so I’ll answer it".

He chuckled.

“I like sunrise because, it gives birth to a new day, new opportunities, and new hope. But above all that, I love to watch the first ray of sunshine hitting the Earth’s surface, as the darkness fades. The cold night slowly warms up when the morning arrives. The little birds chirping, the rooster crowing from afar are wonderful to listen to. The refreshing smell of earth, and the morning fog are few of the many beauties that one observes in the early morning”.

“Mm hmm. That was a nice explanation” he commented.

“You tell me. What do you like? And kindly give your reason sir” I mocked.

He smiled. “I actually like sunsets more. Look at the sky, how colourful it is. Definitely more artistic than sunrises", he then looked at me like I’m a loser for liking sunrise. He went on, “It marks the end of a day; my work gets over and I can go back to room and chill out with my friends. It is peaceful in a way that all the work is done for the day, and we can relax and loosen up"

“Not bad, that’s a good reason" I teased him. We both laughed.

I was traveling alone that day, and I never thought I would be talking philosophy with a stranger on train. “At least I’m not bored”, I thought to myself.

We talked about our lives for some more time, while trying to balance ourselves on that fast moving train.

By this point, the sun was very low. The orange sky was disappearing, and darkness took over the sky. Our legs were also aching by this point, and so we returned to our seats.

Every day, a million miracles begin at sunrise
— Eric Jerome Dickey