I Feel Better Getting This Off My Chest

I don’t hate people. I may disapprove of behaviors, but I believe hate is destructive. I don’t hate very much. I don’t believe in it. I say this because there IS one thing that happens every year that I hate.

So before I say this let me also say I am an optimist. I believe good things are going to happen. I like my life. This is my grounding and my perspective. We need grounding and perspective to make sure we keep balance through the ups and downs. But…

I hate the 50 or so days between Halloween and the Winter Solstice. Between 31 October and 21 December, the days are already short and are getting still shorter. Even if winter isn't my favorite, I don't hate it. I also don’t hate Autumn. Here in Northern Virginia, the first part of Autumn is beautiful. I’m not a big fan of the snow but where I live you don’t usually see snow during those 50-something days. I think it’s something to do with the small and shrinking daily accounting of sunlight.

The actual Winter Solstice was at 7:22am EST this year. It didn’t get by without me noticing, but I was busting my butt at work to get clear of the J.O.B. for Christmas. Now we’re 10 days past it and getting a bigger allowance of sunlight everyday. I feel better already.

I don’t know exactly why the Druids built Stonehenge when something less ostentatious (and portable) would have met the need for a calendar. But I know the pagans celebrated the Winter Solstice by dancing around a big burning log, and whenever I think about it at this time of year, it sure seems like a good idea to me.