Disorderly Time
Some of us are a tad obsessive compulsive, and those of us that suffer from SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder), raise OCD to an art form. We will watch the sunrise/sunset times on the weather channel, dread the 4th of July as a holiday as the days begin to be measurably, if not noticeably, shorter. We buy all sorts of lamps to put all over, both inside and outside of our houses. And truly believe whoever discovered Daylight Savings Time ought to be canonized for sainthood.
Although I do not have a profound case of SAD, the shorter days do affect me more so than most people. And I have to work at keeping my mood up. I have charted the rising and setting of the sun for the entire year. And my calendar is somewhat different than most peoples. My happiest day of the year is December 21, the day that is the shortest day of the year and hence begins the days getting longer. I ignore June 21, but find the July 4th holiday somewhat depressing. By October, I am positively morose, which gives way to quiet anticipation on November 1, and by December 1, the countdown to December 21st begins. How sick is that? Aren’t there some other holidays around that time of year?
People like me also tend to know interesting facts about the length of the day. For example, although the days are continually getting shorter until December 21, the sunset portion of the day actually reaches its earliest time around December 4, and stays the same until December 21. The shortening of the day for most of December takes place in the morning. But then, after December 21st, the lengthening of the day takes place faster at sunset than at sunrise, so the days seem to get longer faster when they really aren’t longer at all. That is why by the second week of January, you see a marked difference in the perceived amount of daylight.
For awhile, my family would go to Florida in June. This is not a good idea generally because it is really, really hot! But if you are a SAD sufferer, it is worse. You see, while the sun is setting at 9:05 PM here in northeast Ohio, it is setting at 8:30 PM in Miami. So I would miss the full benefit of the longer day and would be really bummed. One June was “simply fabulous” when I visited St. Petersburg, Russia, on business, and was able to celebrate the White Nights. It didn’t get sort-of-dark dark unitl 11:00 PM, far out! Of course, on another trip, I was there 5 days before Christmas, and it never got light. Well, maybe a little from 11:00 AM until about 2:30 PM. But that was just twilight, and it was cold and snowy to boot…very cold. No wonder the Russians revolted in the late fall of 1917. What else are you going to do in the cold and dark. I know, let’s call Lenin and have a revolution.
So while the little ones are counting the days until Christmas, I will be counting the days to the Winter Solstice. Does anyone know where I can find a Druid priest?
Although I do not have a profound case of SAD, the shorter days do affect me more so than most people. And I have to work at keeping my mood up. I have charted the rising and setting of the sun for the entire year. And my calendar is somewhat different than most peoples. My happiest day of the year is December 21, the day that is the shortest day of the year and hence begins the days getting longer. I ignore June 21, but find the July 4th holiday somewhat depressing. By October, I am positively morose, which gives way to quiet anticipation on November 1, and by December 1, the countdown to December 21st begins. How sick is that? Aren’t there some other holidays around that time of year?
People like me also tend to know interesting facts about the length of the day. For example, although the days are continually getting shorter until December 21, the sunset portion of the day actually reaches its earliest time around December 4, and stays the same until December 21. The shortening of the day for most of December takes place in the morning. But then, after December 21st, the lengthening of the day takes place faster at sunset than at sunrise, so the days seem to get longer faster when they really aren’t longer at all. That is why by the second week of January, you see a marked difference in the perceived amount of daylight.
For awhile, my family would go to Florida in June. This is not a good idea generally because it is really, really hot! But if you are a SAD sufferer, it is worse. You see, while the sun is setting at 9:05 PM here in northeast Ohio, it is setting at 8:30 PM in Miami. So I would miss the full benefit of the longer day and would be really bummed. One June was “simply fabulous” when I visited St. Petersburg, Russia, on business, and was able to celebrate the White Nights. It didn’t get sort-of-dark dark unitl 11:00 PM, far out! Of course, on another trip, I was there 5 days before Christmas, and it never got light. Well, maybe a little from 11:00 AM until about 2:30 PM. But that was just twilight, and it was cold and snowy to boot…very cold. No wonder the Russians revolted in the late fall of 1917. What else are you going to do in the cold and dark. I know, let’s call Lenin and have a revolution.
So while the little ones are counting the days until Christmas, I will be counting the days to the Winter Solstice. Does anyone know where I can find a Druid priest?
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