White snow. Slush. White snow. Slush.

My drive home from Milwaukee was boring and brown. I kept blinking to stay awake as my eyes watered from the heat blasting out of the car vents. Snow, slush, ice chunk, bump.

Somewhere on the road home, I found a treasure.

Spread across the sky was a soft, winter sunset. Hot pink at the horizon, lifting to orange, yellow, gray, blue. It was breathtaking, even mixed with the dry air and road bumps.

It was the kind of moment when my eyes became clear and the confines of my car felt wide open.

It was the kind of moment to learn from. Here’s what became clear:

Be something beautiful. Even when life feels cold and overwhelming. Let your dreams for the future unfold everyday, no matter what.

Embrace the seasons of life. Life isn’t supposed to be perfect, but our imprint can be. We can leave a better footprint – bad hair day, cold coffee, traffic jams and all.

Brighten the sky of life. Here are some of the best ways to keep life colorful: have fun, laugh, be kind, appreciate others, view art in all forms, kiss, compliment, be spontaneous, speak the truth.

Give others hope. Light the way for spring.

Take someone’s breath away. You don’t have to be a famous musician to inspire a new song. You don’t even have to be all “Pacific Ocean with palm trees” sunset. You can simply be exceptional to someone.

Even just yourself.

Photo by venana