The one thing I look forward to when going home after work and aboard the Dubai Metro? Sunsets. I know they are beautiful and Instagrammable. I wish more would really notice and appreciate the show in the sky at the end of the day, no matter where they are.

I love that for a few minutes, the sky is a spectacle of color — and then it’s over. I am drawn with sunsets not just because they are beautiful but because they are fleeting, just like my commute (only 10 minutes). And just like life too. Every day and every moment is fleeting. I want to stop and appreciate some of the things, even for just 10 minutes.

Zoom in and there you go, the silhouette of the high and mighty Burj Khalifa along with the array of tall buildings on Sheikh Zayed Road in the horizon. I arrive at my stop and when all the passengers hurry to the escalators to the exit, I stay for a while at the platform and just look at this.

Then I get home and see this. When I greet my children at the door a few minutes late than usual, my daughter would ask, “Oh, the sunset today was nice huh?” She knows what I was up to.

There’s a reason sunsets are timeless and constant themes of poets, writers and romantics — they’re inspiring. Most people only take time to look at it during vacations. I don’t want to wait for my vacation to enjoy the sunset so I watch out for them every day on my ride home. Some days they’re spectacular, sometimes not. I still do appreciate both. 

So back to the question: How does watching the sunset make you feel? It makes me feel calm, peaceful and grateful, like, thank-you-for-another-day-of-life-grateful. Next chance to see the sunset is tomorrow, give it a bit of your time. I promise you it’s worth taking some time off the screens of your smartphones.

** I took these photos with my phone so they’re not too sharp or clear. No edits were added except for cropping some pics and putting the watermark. These photos does not do justice to what you can see with your naked eye.