Winter Solstice
If my calculations are correct, and if Wikipedia’s article on the topic is correct, then today at 16:22 Pacific time will mark the official Winter Solstice. The daylight hours will slowly begin to increase again in the inexorable march toward spring.
While I’m looking forward longingly to a season or so from now — to warmer hiking, to baseball games, to the bike training — it’s a good thing to appreciate what’s here already.
As winter weather goes, Southern California isn’t exactly the most wintery place in the world. In fact, as I write this, it’s partly sunny with the temperature in the low 50s and an expected high of 66°F. The “Winter Hike” means something very different than what folks in most of the country are used to.
You can see our gorgeous mountains clearly. A bit sobering that they always used to be that way, but never mind that for the moment — it would be a crime not to enjoy the amazing vistas. Stop and take a breath.
I’ll be writing occasionally about Breathing on this site, both as a physical act and as a philosophical statement: Breathing on Purpose, which is still vital no matter what time of year it is. That air you suck in climbing up a hill is colder than the spring or summer variety, but it’s just as good for you. Better, probably. Cleaner.
Spring would not mean anything if there were no winter. No matter what your particular religious beliefs (or lack thereof), no matter what festivals or feasts or traditions you celebrate this time of year, don’t you think it’s also important to recognize this amazing astronomical event? To celebrate these short hours of light, because they are so precious?
Happy Solstice, everyone.