Shortest day, longest night

"This day is the opposite of one of my favorite days of the year - Summer Solstice. In fact, I like Summer Solstice so much, that is when we got married..."

Move along, nothing to see here. That is, unless you are a Druid or practice some religion who worships the changing of the seasons. If it were not for Christmas, Winter Solstice would be my most unfavorite day of the year. Why? I hate the darkness. Always have.

Today is the shortest day of the year. The day with the least amount of sunlight. The day when our bodies scream out for more Vitamin D. The time of year when I was working, I would leave the dark and come home in the dark. I felt like a mole.

However, there are some good things to take out of this time of year. In the summer time, many indoor tasks become a low priority. In Minnesota, we know we have to relish outdoor time when we can get it. Jobs like filing, organizing, some indoor honey do items, and even some delayed reading seem to fill up the day. It is weird though - at 4:30 when the darkness starts to fall. In the summer time, 4:30 is prime time. That is the time I usually am cleaning the Weber to get ready to grill the evening meal.

I remember reading a study many years ago which said people who live in climates which have four distinct seasons are happier than people who live in a more steady climate. I doubted that study back then, and as the years have passed, I doubt it even more now. There are some years in Minnesota when early winter sets in shortly before Thanksgiving and sticks around until Easter. In my book, that is cruel and unusual punishment.

This year we have been blessed with (so far) some good old Al Gore global warming. Very little snow and temps way above the norm. For that I am grateful. In three months, it will be Spring Equinox. It might still be cold on March 21st, but it has that most blessed word in it's title - Spring. 

But for these next three months, we are stuck with the darkness. Oh yes, I know. The days will start to slowly get longer. For the next month to six weeks, the increase in daylight we pick up each day can be measured by the thimble.

Until Spring Equinox, I could be tempted to stay in my basement, laying in a fetal position under my grow lights. Or I can do what most Minnesotans do, and just make the most out of this time of year. After all, in six months we will feel like we once again live in paradise.