Sunset in January

There are not many things that I like about January, but the sunsets are one of them. While the rest of the days are cold, gray, and monotonous, sunset is when the mountains and sky come alive.

There is a certain slant of light in the evenings when the sunlight hits the mountains and only the mountains. Golden and glorious, Timpanogos and Cascade mountains to the north and east are illuminated while the rest of the sky is shaded and slowly slips into dark blue. The lines and crevices of their faces come into sharper focus and the snow smoothes the slopes into gentle curves. Sometimes a little pink or orange fills the snow with colors and shatters the white and gray of our January landscape.

Even once the sun finishes its descent behind the Lake mountains in the west, Timpanogos and Cascade stay bright for a moment longer. They are luminous, almost like they absorbed and now reflect the light of the day. In those moments, I can't believe the mountains are real. They are too present, too distinct, too there.

For that moment, some haziness is removed and all is clear. The mind-numbing sameness of January days is lifted and the world becomes lovely. I can breathe in the promise of winter's sharp beauty.