Celebrating the day when the sun stands still

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.