Chasing the sun is a worthy pursuit. While it’s impossible to catch it, the adventure is always advantageous.
Chasing the Sun
Anytime I travel to the mountains or the beach, I enjoy chasing the sun. Whether it’s waking early enough in the morning to catch it rising or slowing down just enough later in the day to watch it set…it’s a worthy pursuit. Sunrises and sunsets can be simply spectacular.
My son, Grant, and I started chasing the sun this past Thursday at 3:00 a.m. We jumped in the truck to head to Virginia Beach, Virginia where he would compete in the National High School Coaches Association’s High School Nationals, a highly coveted wrestling tournament.
Our hotel in Virginia Beach overlooked the Atlantic Ocean. I’m an early riser, so each morning I would wake up, grab some breakfast, and await the sun’s arrival on the hotel patio. Then, I would go back to the room and get Grant moving for the day.
After he wrestled his final match on Saturday, we decided to cancel our hotel room for the night and went on a Road Trip. We didn’t have much of a plan, just knew that we wanted to end up somewhere with mountains and trout streams. Our target was the North Georgia/Western North Carolina area where we would chase the sun for the final time this weekend.
Here are a few lessons in life and leadership from our pursuit of the sun.
Just Chase It
I am hard wired to be planned and prepared, it’s just how the good Lord made me. That has proven to be a big part of my success in this world. It can lead me to be a little more scripted and less spontaneous at times.
With that said, some of my greatest memories are created in Extemporaneous Moments. These occasional opportunities can generate a level of freedom to just chase what is in front of me and experience whatever is to come.
Grant and I left the tournament, grabbed some lunch, fueled the truck, and just decided to chase the sun. Our only plan was to catch the sun just before it set over the mountains of Western North Carolina.
Enjoy the View
We caught it! Our route took us west, right in the direction of the setting sun! As it settled behind the peaks of the Appalachian Mountains, it had cast a dark shadow on our side of the mountains. That darkness stood in dramatic contrast to the orange and blue skyline above it. It was simply breathtaking.
There wasn’t a lot of conversation during that portion of the pursuit, just shear awe on our end. We turned up the music, enjoyed the view, and chased the sun until it rested for the night.
There is something about a view like this. A good view always requires a Vantage Point. It creates the ability to see from the perfect perspective.
That wasn’t the only view I enjoyed that weekend. I had one of those moments at the tournament. Rarely do I just get to sit in the bleachers and watch Grant. I have coached him in everything he has played since he was five years old.
As he was warming up with some of his teammates, I took the opportunity to go sit in the bleachers. They were perched up well above the arena floor. As he heads into his Senior year, we are beginning a lot of lasts. It was nice to just sit there and watch him perfect his craft…while dad was able to just enjoy the view.
Catch it
Next up, he needed to catch the sunrise. Sleep is invaluable to a competitor. In Virginia Beach, I tried to let him sleep as long as he could before I woke him. Therefore, he didn’t get to experience a sunrise on the trip.
We decided to stop in Asheville, North Carolina the last night. I wanted him to experience the city and it was about as far as my exhaustion would allow me to go.
When we arrived to our hotel, the receptionist notified me that she had to cancel our reservation. No phone call, no text alert, and no heads up! I tried to remain loyal to the brand, called customer service and tried to find another property close to it. After about thirty minutes, it just wasn’t worth the pursuit anymore. I just decided to drive one property over and stay with the competitor.
The hotel we stayed at was a regular economy brand with the typical cookie cutter layout. Except one extremely unique feature. It had a balcony.
See…it was dark when we arrived. What I didn’t know was that the balcony provided an incredible view of the surrounding mountains. It faced almost directly to the east, positioned perfectly to catch the sunrise that final morning!
Conclusion
Final day agenda…get to the Toccoa River and do some trout fishing. We had about a two-and-a-half-hour drive ahead of us.
I wasn’t going to let Grant miss this one though. I let him sleep until about 7:20 a.m., two minutes before the sun was scheduled to rise that morning. From that balcony, we caught the sun, one final time.
Whether it’s a with a cup of coffee or a beach chair, whether it’s in pure solitude or with a loved one, sunrises and sunsets can be majestic. It’s the masterpiece that God paints at the start and finish of each day.
The sun represents both the beginning and end to each day. In life and leadership, what matters most is how we love and care for others in between. It’s the lasting impact that will travel far beyond our final sunset. Chase the sun.
