Today is the summer solstice – June 21. The first official day
of summer when we, in the Northern Hemisphere, get to experience the longest
day of the year and the shortest night. The first official day of summer.
Conjuring up fun childhood memories for me because the sun has officially
crossed the line. And in the home of my youth that meant freedom. Swimming as
long as I wanted to. School coming to an end. The ability to roam as I liked
for as long as I liked as long as it was daylight. It marked the beginning of
the essence of childhood to me. Family picnics and gatherings. People happy and
smiling. And now here it is again today. Rolling around every single year.
The day when the sun stands still –deriving its meaning from
Latin sol (sun) sistere ( to stand still) and we get to glory in its light.
In the Southern hemisphere it is their shortest day and
longest night allowing us to see and understand, to each action there is an equal and opposite
reaction. While we in the Northern atmosphere
are enjoying the official start of summer, the people in the Southern atmosphere
are hunkering down for the longest night. And the official start of their
winter.
So what is the meaning of a solstice? I wanted to know so I
looked on the Internet and found this meaning,
“A solstice is an astronomical event that happens
twice each year as the Sun reaches its highest or lowest
excursion relative to the celestial
equator on the celestial sphere.
As a result, on the solstice the Sun appears to have reached its highest or
lowest annual altitude in the sky above the horizon at local solar noon. The
word solstice is derived from the Latin sol (sun) and sistere (to stand still), because at the
solstices, the Sun stands still in declination;
that is, the seasonal movement of the Sun's path (as seen from Earth) comes to
a stop before reversing direction. The solstices, together with the equinoxes, are connected
with the seasons. In many cultures the solstices mark either the beginning or
the midpoint of winter and summer.
The term solstice can also be used in a broader sense,
as the date (day) when this occurs. The day of the solstice is either the
longest day of the year (in summer) or the shortest day of the year (in winter)
for any place on Earth outside of the tropics, because the length of time
between sunrise and sunset on that day is the yearly maximum or minimum for
that place.”
I chose this definition because I find it so romantic that
the sun stands still holding on to its light knowing it must reverse direction
and gradually let go of its light in order to make way for the darkness.
Solidifying in my mind there is a season for everything. A reason for
everything. A time for everything. Sometimes we are on top and sometimes not.
Reminding me to try to stand still and hold on to the power
when it is mine to hold on to knowing it will slip away from me to make way
for someone else to have their turn. Enjoy the moment for what it is. Grateful that
I got to experience it.
So in honour of the longest day of the year, let’s enjoy the
most daylight of any day in the year. Take time to experience the wonders of the
outdoors and to appreciate it for what it is. It’s a day we have been building for
all year long as we watched the days get progressively longer culminating on
this day. So why not enjoy it. After all, as of tomorrow, the light gradually becomes
less as the days slowly but surely get shorter.
No comments:
Post a Comment