Sunset on the San Rafael Valley

Puesta del Sol: San Rafael Valley
Patagonia, AZ

"A large drop of sun lingered on the horizon and then dripped over and was gone, and the sky was brilliant over the spot where it had gone, and a torn cloud, like a bloody rag, hung over the spot of its going. And dusk crept over the sky from the eastern horizon, and darkness crept over the land from the east.

--John Steinbeck, The Grapes of Wrath

Had forgotten about witnessing  a complete sky sunset after leaving the Lazy J2 Ranch on the San Rafael Valley. You will never experience a sunset like this where the complete horizon comes into play. It's almost too much to take in and absorb and more than likely it was my motivation for taking the shot.

The British writer, historian, and playwright sums up what I've been feeling and why I choose to share this image in particular with you. He wrote, "If I can put one touch of rosy sunset into the life of any man or woman, I shall feel that I have worked with God."

While my underlying nature is albeit a tad melancholic, there remains a side of me that chooses to reach out to others and tries to encourage and befriend. The mind is not always accurate and it deceives. The heart on the other hand beats deliberately to a separate yet faithful rhythm. If you had to chose between reason and heart, I believe most of us would be content with the choices the heart makes.

Reliance strictly on the mind short changes and deprives us of our ability to feel. The world is tactile and sensual. It's not all mind. Strict logic  "just business" is a short sided imposition placed on us by those who settled these shores to meet the demands of an industrial revolution gone wild. The carrot for most was the promise of a better life, but one filled with sacrifices until a promise of a retirement down the road. There's nothing logical about missing sunrises and sunsets. We need to reverse this disconnection with our heart and with our friends and family. We need to live now, see now, and feel now.

www.photographybyalhernandez.com