solstice - noun - the time of year (June 21 or December 22) at which the seasonal movement of the sun's daily path as seen from Earth pauses at a northern or southern limit before reversing direction (Google).
Today, we will experience the summer solstice. Not surprisingly, the word derives from Latin: sol, "the sun," and sistere ("to stand still") (Google). The calendar reminds us that June 21 is the first day of summer, the longest day of the year.
I have always associated this particular day with time in a symbolic sense as we are provided with more day light to contemplate how we have spent our waking hours. Like the sun, we can pause and reflect on the past before making any moves toward the future. It could be another New Year's Eve in a sense. Since the end of a year signals a beginning, the possibility of positive change, why not offer a second opportunity, midway through the year on June 21st?
Obviously, this past year has offered us a lot in the way of challenges, a lot to think about. Because COVID has forced us to accept restrictions not only for ourselves, but for the sake of others, some of us have learned to be a bit more unselfish. This is something that should not be reversed as selflessness is not a bad thing, yet I am starting to see that with the easing of protocols, people are reverting back to past behaviors reminiscent of the sun's reversing direction. Case in point: to celebrate our deceased dads (both baseball fans), yesterday my daughter and I went to a minor league baseball game, which was packed with mask-less people of all ages, shapes, and sizes, resorting to selfish practices as if the pandemic had never happened. Why? Because we want to get back to normalcy in the worst way. We are, after all, human and want what we want.
But maybe before we do step backwards into familiar patterns, maybe we can stand still under the sun just long enough to think about the person or persons standing next to us on this planet.
Happy Summer Solstice: 6/21/21!
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