Sunset to Sunrise

Lyrics from “Lua”

“…What’s so easy in the evening by the mornings such a drag.”
“…What was normal in the evening by the morning seems insane.”

“…What is simple in the moonlight by the morning never is.
Yeah it was simple in the moonlight now it’s so complicated.”

What those lyrics are getting at in the song is the difference of mindsets from morning to night. Maybe you’re not like this? I don’t know, so I’ll speak for myself. For me, it’s literally like a switch gets hit and everything stops making sense. I can have the grandest ideas, the most positively perplexing thoughts, or the most life changing plans at night. Then I wake up and my idea doesn’t make as much sense as it did before, my thoughts are now cloudy, and my plan - well it’s just too complicated to attack.

How does this happen? Does my mind function differently at night then it does in the morning? Am I more of a dreamer at night and logical-reason grounded person at dawn? Does something happen during sleep?


What I’m not talking about is a person who just isn’t a early riser. I’m not talking generally about apathy or being lethargic in the morning.

What I am talking about are those epiphanies that occur from evening on into the night.

• An epiphany is a sudden realization, a intuitive leap of understanding, an initial thought of direction, especially through an ordinary but striking occurrence.

Granted, the death of an epiphany can be both good or bad depending on the subject matter, but I would make the point from my own experience that most epiphanies are life-enriching harmless thought processes. They guide us to new hobbies, to become better people, to our to-do lists for the next day, and if stuck to - change our lives.

A good example can be drawn from attending church just once a week on Sunday:

The worship hit’s a new climax and a connection to God is made in a powerful way. A prayer lets off to God, and you say, “God, Change me! I am a broken sinner! I struggle with this and this right now. With your help, I’m going to change starting tomorrow! Then the sermon is finished and you’ve gained great biblical insight to help you on the path to being more righteous. You have a few conversations with people in the congregation about more “worldly” things. After that you go home, and maybe you ‘do well’ the rest of the day because that fire is still burning within you. Then you go to bed that night and say another prayer of thanks for the experience you had during the day at Church. Then you go to sleep……

The next day things are different. That fire has died just a little. God may have been ready to do his part, but now you’re a little less prepared on Monday than you were on Sunday. Then the next day there are only hot coals left. Then by Wednesday or Thursday the fire has ceased to glow at all.

That is just one example. This whole idea spreads throughout life. It prevents us from living dreams, learning a new languages, picking up and learning a new musical instruments, doing something very special for someone in need, or even doing something special for the one we love. I could go on and on and on.

What is this and why does it happen?