Serenity is something that everyone searches for at one point or another.  It is that escape that we long for to put our minds at ease and to calm our frayed nerves.  It is the acceptance, the peace and the untroubled state that we seem to never be able to find in a world full of bells and whistles, beeps and horns, notices and reminders.  The faster and "smarter" our world becomes--the less peaceful and serene we feel.

Serenity is something that comes to us more as we slow down instead of speeding up.  

Taking the moments one at a time instead of in chunks enables us to cherish what is instead of missing what was or longing for what could have been.

I have learned though my journey to savor the moments and embrace the opportunities to experience the serenity that comes with breathing in slowly, deliberately and tasting life's breath as it passes   through my lips.

I've always had this fascination with sunsets. 
I would sit and stare at them over and over again--amazed at the dazzling array of colors and sparkles that appeared and disappeared in what seemed to be a dance that repeated itself day in and day out.

It seemed to me that sunsets were the perfect end to a day.  Because no matter what happened during that day--no matter what disappointments or ups and downs I may have faced--I could always look forward to the sunset as a perfect way to end my day.

Then one day I looked at the sunset and realized that what I'd always come to think of as being the "end" of the day (naturally because the sun was "setting" or leaving) was in fact a beginning--because it was an opportunity to wipe the slate clean of the day you'd just had and wrap you into a comforting nightfall of quiet darkness in order to prepare you for the new awakening that you were going to experience during the sunrise of the next day.

I took a series of these shots with my cellphone's camera and I was just amazed at the detail and how this is--and will always be for me--the perfect New Beginning.


(Throwback Cellphone Pictures)