Looking to the Light

/ cagedunn

Today is the shortest day of the year – if you live in the southern hemisphere.

It’s the day I do a bit of a clean-out. Cupboards, rooms, shelves, eFiles, drawers, sheds, gardens. It’s the shortest day, so getting it done within the time-frame ensures it can’t all be done, only the things that matter. Yes, I’m a pragmatist. Do what can be done, let’s not worry about the other stuff – it can wait (or if someone mentions something, they are offered the tools to do it – offer of words is of no use, so if they need to mention it, they need to put the words into action).

I like the shortest day of the year. For one thing, it’s Papa Bear’s birthday. He’s gone onto a different place now, but his birthday is still celebrated (not as big this year or last, but no travel for many). We salute the big Bear, swim in the cold water of the shortest day, and eat cake.

The next best thing about the shortest day is that it leads into the lengthening of days from now until the longest day (the birthday of a brother, this time). From now until then, the days get longer, warmer, brighter. Trees and gardens respond, birds and critters set up for the new seasons, and hope springs in with the blooming of the winter roses.

It’s the shortest day of the year, the stars are more visible in the clear, cold nights, and the moon glows like a reminder of brighter times.

This infrared image from NASA Spitzer Space Telescope shows the Helix nebula, a cosmic starlet often photographed by amateur astronomers for its vivid colors and eerie resemblance to a giant eye.
https://images.nasa.gov/details-PIA09178

21 thoughts on “Looking to the Light”

  4. I love the idea that if something is mentioned as needing attention then the person who is bothered by it is the one who has to do something about it. I love heading into longer days and always have some trouble going the the way to the shorter days. That is where we are going now up here in the north.

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    • I think my favourites times of the year are the equinoxes, rather than the solstices, but as this day is Papa Bear’s birthday, it’s become special (he liked to do the iceberg swim on the shortest day, so I hope wherever he is now, they have a little spot for him to keep up the ritual).

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  5. lol – sorry Cage, I don’t like it at all. I can’t remember the last time I felt this cold. We had some sun today, but not enough to warm anything up. Brrrrrr….roll on spring.

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    • The days of summer, and laughter, and wine!
      (I think that’s a song.)
      Winter is for mulled wine, warm slippers and writing by flame through the longest night (or laptop, if so inclined).

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    • That’s impressive!
      Although, I do remember a year when our winter solstice was a bit warmer than the summer solstice (a summer storm and a winter high). Nothing is entirely predictable.

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