I am on the Equestrian team, which means a lot of things, but recently it means I’ve been seeing a lot of incredible sunrises. We have to wake up early for the horse shows and driving to them, I get to look up and watch the sky come alive. And I love sunrises, but unfortunately I never can get my butt out of bed to see them. I figure, instead I can just see the sunset at the end of the day and it's basically the same thing, right? And I began wondering which--are they equal? Or is one better?

A sunrise is present at the beginning of the day. Anything can happen. You see the world is quiet, asleep still. Maybe you’re still half asleep yourself. Maybe you’ve been up all night. The roads are empty, it feels as if you’re the last person on the planet. The air is cool—or at least cooler than it will be during the day. The world seems to be at your fingertips.

Before a sunset, you have already lived your day. It might have been awful. The worst day of your life. And looking up at that sunset is almost cruel—how can there be such beauty in a world with so much heartache? But in a way, that makes the beauty that much more powerful. When a sunset happens, especially in the winter, people are still bustling around. The world is still awake, but everyone's day is ending. Soon, the world will be quiet again. And there is a comfort in that. Knowing that after the crazy day you will be at peace in the quietness of the night. And also not knowing what tomorrow holds. There is hope in a sunset, because anything could happen tomorrow. Today could have been a terrible day, but you look up at the sky and see the beauty in the world. That beauty gives you hope that maybe tomorrow will be better.

Perhaps, they are equal. And perhaps sunrises and sunsets are each good in their own way. But I think, I might have to say I prefer the sunset. I prefer the beauty that comes at the end of the day, regardless of what has happened. And the hope that tomorrow can reflect that beauty better than today did.