Well, it came and went without on little nod of the nose from me.
That very first day of summer, 2016. How could I let such a momentous occasion slip by without the band playing and the room swaying? Well, Hello Dolly!
It is the time of year for us to see things as clear as day. That’s because, most of the time it is…. day. Yes, daylight. Glorious as it is. On the sunny side of the street.
Summer. The time of year when we break out our sandals, and straw hats. People sit on front porches, and other folks throw frisbees. We splash in pools. We use more ice.
We throw meat on outdoor grills, and dig in gardens. The weekend warriors battle on their fields of dreams. We drive with our windows down.
We breathe a little deeper, run a little faster, and sing a little louder. Summer sweet summer. All for the love of daylight.
Yesterday we had 14 hours and 59 minutes of it. But. Now. I give you the sad and bad news about the first day of summer. It is the max for Mr-Sun-On-Your-Shoulders.
You see, today we had slightly less light-time. And tomorrow, less than this. And so it will follow. Until December 21. Darkness. Just 9 hours and 22 minutes of daytime then. But… on the 21st of coldness, we begin to ascend again. Four days before Christmas.
Have I taken you from utter delight to shear depression in 60 seconds flat? I did not mean to be the wet blanket. Or even the bearer of the wet blanket.
All I can tell you is this.
Each morning, we have a slightly different, new horizon which greets us. Each day it changes. And in that, a new and different orange sun on a backdrop of blue.
It peaks over the edge of the earth at a different time each morning… and a slightly different place. And. It all changes. The new start. The new beginning. With each rising sun. How will we start this beginning? What is our good purpose for this time? How much shine do we have in us? The warmth of the summer, or the cold of winter? It is our own season, then. It becomes our specific choice today. Every day.
Summer’s here. I think we should rise and shine.