Below the last video are links to other bloggers posting about the sun
Click the video above for 2 minutes of background waves while reading.
I like walking on the beach. It is good for the mind, body, and soul – and refreshing on the feet.
I have been lucky the past 12 hours – the brilliant sunset of yesterday followed by the glorious sunrise this morning. Outstanding back-to-back performances on the stage we call the sky – the actors known as light, dark, and clouds supporting the lead – the Sun.
Sunrise is opening the door to a new day – letting light pour into our life and spirit – then, sunset closes the door. The Sun does not know what happens behind the closed doors at night, yet the energy from the daily sun sustains our night.
The Sun rises and sets for everyone – for the young and the old – for males and females – for the able and disabled – for the healthy and the ill – even for the good and the evil.
By day, the Sun is that energetic disk in the sky that is the source of power, light, and warmth. By night, the Sun still shines – just elsewhere in a place we cannot see.
The Sun – the center of our Solar System. By far, the brightest object in our sky and over 100 times larger than our planetary home.
The Sun – some 4.6 billion years old. Formed by a gathering of matter that became hot enough to support nuclear fusion – a reaction joining hydrogen atoms into one helium atom – and that reaction lights the fire supporting life on Earth.
The Sun – a star with a surface temperature so hot we can’t imagine. A place associated with solar flares, sunspots, supernovas, ultraviolet light, and more.
The Sun – our nearest star. However, if we stood on a different planet in a distant galaxy, our sun would only be a twinkle in the night sky while a different sun illuminates our way by day.
Ancients thought the sun moved across the sky from horizon to horizon. This served as evidence we were the center of the universe. Today we know its appearance and disappearance (as well as the Moon’s) is due to Earth’s rotation.
The Sun – radiating energy in all directions, therefore only a small fraction of its energy touches Earth. One billionth seems minuscule – and to think most of that energy reflects into space. Oh, how powerful that ball of hydrogen and helium must be as so little of it is the foundational force for life on our lonely planet.
The Sun – the burning fire of life – the foundation of life as we know it – the initial energy for most food chains – the energy supporting almost all life on Earth by photosynthesis – the energy driving Earth’s climate and weather. All this by energy that takes over eight minutes to reach our planet.
The Sun – whose light grows a garden, paints a rose, highlights the morning dew while signaling the cock to crow, birds to sing, bees to seek nectar, flowers to face its way, and much more. The leaves of a tree are so to catch as much of its light as possible – but also providing shade for us to rest.
The Sun – whose colors of light are seen in all rainbows, and plays an active role in displaying the glorious colors of flowers. The Sun is light allowing us to see all the colors around nature. Without the sun, colors are muted – an illusion of red as gray, yellow as white.
The Sun is a place of work and play. The Sun provides the golden rays that many seek to bronze their skin. The Sun is the source of the ultraviolet rays necessary to trigger our skin to produce vitamin D.
The Sun melts ice and wax, expands metals, hardens clay, warms water, and ripens fruits – but also melts, expands, warms, and ripens souls – but does not harden them.
The Sun can hide behind the clouds of day, occasionally peeking through holes in the clouds as if to say, “Do not fret for I am here.” – a sign of joy and hope behind the dark cloud of despair.
The Sun casts shadows, yet its height and angle determines the shadow’s length.
The Sun warms us, shines on us, casts shadows on us, and blinds us. The Sun provides light for us to see because none of us desire to wander in shadows and darkness.
The Sun is more than we imagine – so much more that it requires a second walk. Which is a good thing because I like walking on the beach, which is good for the mind, body, and soul – and refreshing on my feet.
What others have posted about the sun
- The Sun will Come Out Tomorrow (poem and photos)
- Reaching for the Sun (An essay and photos)
- Photography by Janet (a regular beach walker)
- Open to the Sun (poem)
- The hour of the Sun (poem)
- From Anvica’s Gallery (an essay and photos)
Next Post: Sun v2 – Tuesday 17 November (1 AM Eastern US)
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Thanks you very much, Frank, for participating. Very interesting post!!! 🙂
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Ana,
Welcome first-time walker. Thanks for your post in the links!
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Thank you for including a link to my post, Frank. A lovely post… I would give a good deal for a walk n a warm beach 🙂
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Sue,
Welcome first-time walker. I encourage my readers to visit your post in the links. Meanwhile, our Sun offers so much, I had to do two walks. But this post isn’t my favorite, so I invite you to go back to any of the previous 8 walks.
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I’m always happy to have a wander 🙂
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Thank you for the… enlightening post, my friend! Happy -sunny- weekend!
Yamas!
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Marina,
Thanks … and may the Sun shine on your weekend. Yamas!
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☀️😎☀️🍷
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Sunny reflections – food for thought and gratefulness. Beautiful.
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Ann-Christine,
Welcome first-time walker. My beach walks are always reflective about something, so I hope you return for a future walk.
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Oh, thanks – I am sure I will!
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Where are you located?
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In Sweden
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Cheers to your country. I had one short day in Stockholm – so I want to return. After all, my wife has Swedish in her heritage.
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Ah, then you should visit again!
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Oh yes – we want to … but the question is when.
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Not soon anyway…
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Sunrises and Sunsets are my favorite “sun times”. Maybe sunrises most of all as they are a beginning……..I’m not overly fond of endings but the beauty of sunset maybe is just signaling it is taking a rest and will be back to rise again – and again. Thanks for your reflections! Literally.
Hugs, Pam
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Pam,
Interesting how people feel different about sunrises and sunsets. I’m with you – love the sunrises more. Then again, I imagine people on our west coast love sunsets over the water. Nonetheless, reverence is personal. Enjoy your weekend.
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And that Sun is shared by every single person on earth. Something else we have in common.
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Good point, Pam! We need to pay more attention to the things we share as opposed to the things that separate us.
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Pam,
I loved your thought so much, I had to steal it – so it will be included in the next walk. Thank you!
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My pleasure. Consider it a gift.
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🙂
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Sunlight coming in through the retina triggers the release of serotonin in our brains, lifting up our moods. Add the endorphins walking stimulates the brain to release and it’s no wonder a walk on the beach feels so good! Lovely, sunny thoughts today, Frank. What a marvelous wonder the sun is.
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Barbara,
One of my favorite things about posting these walks on a walk is reading the insightful comments from readers about the topic. With yours, I sigh, thinking – wish I would have thought of that one. Simply excellent – and thank you!!!!!
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I’ll be outside, getting my dose of Vitamin D in about an hour, Frank. Nice job.
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Dan,
Excellent and enjoy your day. Darn nippy this morning for me. Brrrr … put temps will be going up .. and it’s a sunny day!
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“The Sun provides light for us to see because none of us desire to wander in shadows and darkness.” – except all those vampires and zombies!😆
Yes, we sure do need to thank the sun for our very existence. I love both sunrises and sunsets.
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Eilene,
The sun is so much about life, it’s hard to imagine life without the sun because it is the foundation. I know life exist in the darkness of the deep sea, but that is because the Sun has nothing to do with it …. well, at least not directly. A good quote delivering thoughts and smiles. Thanks for sharing it.
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Hi, we’re thinking along the same lines. But if you want the sun, see Tuesday Treat this coming week
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Crispina,
Oh … I can’t wait. Too bad we missed a collaborative moment. Oh well – we will connect. 🙂
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We will, we will. 🙂
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if anyone doubted that our sun is a big ball of fire, they just need to see that video. Pretty cool.
The sun can be a make or break of a good mood, can’t it? Today is a very dreary day and I would dearly love to see the sun’s rays peeking out of the clouds. I fear it will be making itself scarce this week. Good thing we know that eventually, it brightens up again.
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Dale,
One of the reasons we go south is that we (especially my wife) feel our winter is too gray and brown. Meanwhile, the Alabama coast will have it’s share of cloudy days, when at least it’s warmer than here. Plus the cold days there can be very sunny. Be where the wind is blocked, we notice the sun’s warmth. Glad you enjoyed the video …. and hopefully others will watch it.
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Could you imagine living in areas in the great north, or Alaska where they have no sun 24-hours a day for a period of time? I’d go nuts.
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On my one trip to Alaska, I recall a discussion with a local. She moved from Pennsylvania, and getting dark at 3 pm was a difficult adjustment. No thanks.
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I don’t think I could, to be honest.
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Agree
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The sun gives us life, but somehow it is the moon I love.
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Laurie,
The two brightest lights in the sky – each with their own purpose, power, and mystique. Would you be surprised if I said “Moon” is a future walk? 😉
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Not at all. Looking forward to it.
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I think sometime in December.
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An amusing thought I felt compelled to share: While colloquially they are different, one could argue that melting ice and warming water are the same thing.
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Yahooey,
Great point and I’m right with you on that one. After all, that transition from liquid to solid happen at the same temperature – but 0 degree C liquid water contains more heat than 0 degrees C frozen water.
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I also like that it expands when frozen. Amazing that such a “simple” thing like water still contains so many “mysteries.”
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The sun…whose heat kills veggies in Arizona’s summer. 😉. Even though I know the earth moves, it stills seems as if the sun does, doesn’t it? When I tried to watch the video, it wouldn’t let me watch it here, just so you know. Have to go to YouTube. Thanks very much for the link. But I’m not a regular beach walker, as in walking on the beach, but a regular Beach Walker, as in reading your blog. Big difference. 🥰. Have a wonderful weekend, Frank.
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Janet,
I wince at the thought of what the Arizona sun does to vegetation. After all, I remember your recent post. Regarding the video, yep – sometimes that happens. The “Unavailable Video” that is available with another click. I don’t think they have the best wording for that. Meanwhile, your beach walker comment made me laugh. Enjoy the rest of your weekend.
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A glowing post, Frank! 😀. I know that in the larger universe, our sun is not very special, it certainly is to us.
Seeing the sunrise always puts me in a good mood, but seeing the sun rise or set over the ocean (or rivers or bays) is extra special
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Merril,
Chuckles on your opening line. 🙂 Love you point about our sun in relationship to the rest of the universe. Cheers to your finding special moments in both sunrises and sunsets.
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Thanks, Frank. 😀
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Ahh, sunrise, my favorite time of day where the world looks fresh and renewed for making new experiences. As always, thanks for sharing beauty in prose as well as sounds to calm the heart and psyche.
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Monika,
Glad that this post reminded you of your favorite time of the day … well, in relationship to the sun. Just so happens that a future walk will be about that time of day. 🙂
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Probably you willl speak also of the Sun day, Frank!
In friendship
Michel
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Michel,
Maybe I should have waited until my tomorrow to answer this, 🙂
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Great post, Frank. It brought to mind the Beatles’ song ‘Here comes the sun’’, which is one of my favorites. Lots of sun here in Florida today and we had a good walk this morning. Hard to believe it’s winter though. 😅
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Sylvia,
Cheers to a sunny day in the Sunshine State. For us today, it was playing hide and seek games with the clouds. Winter is closer – no doubt – temps were around freezing this morning. Love “Here Comes the Sun” – and I considered it for this walk.
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Great minds…. 🙂
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How the sun paints a rose was my favorite line, Frank. But seriously, the sun is the ultimate Swiss Army knife . . it does absolutely everything, and it does it so well. I remember being in awe of the sun as a little boy, and how it simply moved away from us at night before returning every morning.
As for the video, I had to go to YouTube to view it. And alls I could see was Donald Trump’s head . . .
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Marc,
It’s easy to see how anyone can be awed by the sun. Of course, understanding its magnitude is another level. But hey – I know you’ve got game! 🙂 Thanks for sharing your favorite line. Went back to re-read it – personally, I love the entire paragraph.
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Amazing video of the solar flares.
I try, and yet am left at a loss by the enormity of it all.
With good reason!
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“the enormity of it all” …. now that sums it up! Glad you enjoyed the video. More on the sun with the next walk!
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Woot!
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Back-to-back performance of sun and sky–love how you express this, Frank. The sun is the center of so much of our world bringing us our light and days. No wonder so many religions equate the sun and God. The shining cosmos at the center. Hope you have a good weekend! Lotsa sunshine…. 🙂
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Kathy,
Totally agree with you. It’s interesting to see how early cultures saw the sun moving across the sky – as opposed to us moving around the sun. It’s presence is has always been powerful – just in a different way over time. Glad you enjoyed the walk – and thanks for adding your perspective.
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Good post, Frank. I’m very thankful to live where the sun shines more than it doesn’t
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John,
So true. A question for you …. Of the place you have lived, which would have the least sunshine?
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I would say South Bend Indiana had the least sun followed by Chicago.
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Thank you for your astute observation.
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I understand completely why mythology has anointed the sun as a god! I’m feeling the warmth from the sunshine, your words and the following discussion. Thank you!
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Rebecca,
Oh yes – the link between mythology and the Sun is quite strong. Then again, given its prominence, no wonder cultures proclaimed Sun Gods. Thanks for the kind words and for walking along.
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It’s such a huge subject isn’t it? Literally! Incredible to think that for all these aeons it has been lighting our world and potentially many others. Too big a subject for my simple mind, Frank. 🙂 🙂
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Jo,
Agree … the sun is a huge subject. Did you notice v1 in the title – as in Volume 1? Yep – the next walk is v2. It’s lasting power is mind boggling to me. Plus, what a cool video! 🙂
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The light of the sun is such a mood-enhancer. It’s true that the midnight sun might be a bit of a facer, if only because at the other end of the year, the inhabitants have to put up with the opposite. But short hours of daylight make winter depressing and difficult. Yes, the sun’s rays do it for me (maybe not in the desert though?)
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I’ll be back, Frank. Busy morning …..
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Hey, thanks for stopping by our Thankful Thursday Blog Hop post. That’s our main mancat Brian on the Christmas Blankie. We all love the sun and we’re really fans of the beach and water views, we’re jealous!
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Brian,
Welcome first-time beach walker. Yep – stopping by was fun, and wow – a multitude of felines to rule the house. Beach walks are what I do here, but Cincinnati is far from the beach – but I do most of my initial drafts when at the beach. 🙂 Where are you located?
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I don’t get over here on Saturdays, but I enjoy these posts every bit as well on Sundays! Today, we’re “suffering” through a gray day, with awfully high winds (after a storm and cold front overnight). Thanks to you, Frank I’m basking in the warm rays of sunlight!
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Debbie,
As you know, one of the beauties of blogs is that there is no timetable. Besides, I can say this place is on Beach Time! 🙂 The weather you got has arrived in Cincinnati. Whew … is it ever blowing. So unfortunately for me, I’m far from the beach at this moment.
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Happy SUNday, Frank!
I was here yesterday, and read this thoughtful post. However, I had to go to Youtube to watch the sun video.
I finally got there and watched it. Wow. Our star is quite the impressive exploding ball.
I totally see how the ancients would figure the sun move from horizon to horizon. It fits in nicely with the earth being flat!
For some reason, I like the shadows and rainbows. It sounds like a poem.
It’s cloudy here, again. Dark when I woke up, still dark now. Waiting for the sun….. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQetemT1sWcx
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Sunrise, Sunset… the song in my mind now… I loved it so much… This is beautiful written/worked post. These moments as a ritual for me everyday… But to be here is what great richness… Thank you dear Frank, let me remind this too, “Sun is the great man.” Dersu Uzala, Love, nia
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Nia,
Thank you for the wonderful comment about the sun and the post. Because a song came to you as you read, here’s a song for you. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lRsciuPOWW4
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Welcome and Thank you, I love this song so much… Love, nia
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🙂
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Ah I am glad I didn’t miss this one! Beautiful post.
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PD,
Thank you. Given our locations, winter is a time you will see more sun than we in Cincinnati. Then again, that’s a reason we go south.
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‘Outstanding back to back performances on the stage we call the sky’ ❤ Wow!
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Lenora,
I know you read them in reverse, but I tried to make them different – the first (this one) move about the sun itself – the other more metaphoric. No sure how well I achieved it, but I tried. 🙂
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A most enjoyable walk, Frank. Thank you. 🙂
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Some people really appreciate an overcast day, but I’m at my best when the sun is shining. I am quite sure I have a built-in solar battery requiring as much sun as possible. This was really interesting to read, Frank, and I particularly enjoyed the last video. 🙂
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Debra,
You had me laughing because knowing that you are a long-time SoCal resident, I’m confident that you have a personal solar battery for recharging. It’s part of your genetic makeup! 🙂 Glad you enjoyed the video. I take selecting the closing video very seriously, so whenever the video is mentioned, I smile.
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