Tonight, driving through the Shenandoah Valley, I watched a beautiful sunset slip behind the mountains to create a mountain outline against the darkening night sky. It was ten minutes of soul-stirring magic, and then it was gone.

In the eleventh minute it occurred to me that I would never again see that sunset exactly the way I saw it tonight. A moment of beauty and a connection to creation that moved me to think about the things in my life that really matter.

It’s not important that the rental car company charged me ten dollars too much this weekend. And what that politician said about his opponent this morning is completely irrelevant.

What’s important - what’s relevant - is the beauty of a sunset and our connection to it.

In my last few moments on earth, as I contemplate my next adventure, I want to remember sunsets. And I want to feel the joy of connection. A few moments of soul-stirring magic before I’m gone.

Carpe Diem!