Summer Solstice
Summer Solstice
The 4th of July is the big bang of summer, but late June is when the longest day of the year happens. Summer solstice was June 21 and we’ve started the slow tilt away from the sun. It’s hard to imagine because summer’s just begun, but it’s literally the beginning of the end.
Late June is full of weddings and strawberry festivals and kids going to camp. The tree pollen finally eases off and you can start breathing again. The days are warm but not dog days of summer hot. Lakes and the ocean are still warming up and remind you that you still aren’t that far past winter when you jump in. Many of the perennial flowers in the garden are peaking. Roses are bursting and bending over with the weight of their showy tops. Annuals just planted weeks ago are hitting their stride. Late June in New England is ripe with hope for the future.
Other cultures start holiday right about now. Americans work right through with maybe a week off wedged around a long weekend so you don’t have to take the extra day. This is the time of year when you recognize the folly of this system. Two days off on the weekend just don’t give you enough time for all that there is to do this time of year. Beach or hiking? Sailing or gardening? Swim in the pool or go out for an ice cream? Take a bike ride or have a drink with friends on the deck? Its an embarrassment of riches. These are days we’ll remember, but there’s so much to do that you can’t possibly fit it all in.
Best to savor these moments. Be happy with whatever you choose, shift down a gear or two and appreciate the long days. Our lives are about living now. We only have today, and the days aren’t getting any longer.