Happy winter solstice! Each year on this day, I wax poetically about the beginning of winter and the longest night of the year in the northern hemisphere. At least I attempt to be poetic; I’ll leave it to you to decide whether or not that is the case.
Ancient cultures spent enormous time and effort to build celestial calendars to predict the occurrence of the solstice. Stonehenge is probably the best-known example of such a calendar, but many other examples exist in the ancient world. Today, we don’t need granite pillars; we have smartphone apps for that! And let’s face it, except for geeks like me, how many people today really give a crap about esoteric things like the solstice anyway? (You don’t need to answer that question!)
Yet even though times have changed dramatically, and we no longer need granite apps to predict the occurrence of the solstice, one common thread remains if you take the time to reflect on it. And that is hope. Hope for more daylight. Hope for a brighter day. That remains just as true today as it did when the Druids built Stonehenge. So, today is a great time to reflect on brighter days. They begin tomorrow!
To help you along, here are some more images from my magical morning in Cades Cove a couple of days ago. Enjoy and happy winter solstice!
Beautiful photos and remarks. I love it!
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Thank you, darling Joyce! 🙂
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The beauty of the landscape that meets your eyes…thank you for sharing.
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Thanks for letting me know, Brenda! I’m glad you enjoyed them! 🙂
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I’ve always looked forward to the longer days turning point. Now more than ever since we often rely on solar power. The short days are no bueno for that action.
Thanks for the Smokies fix! 😀
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Interesting…I had never considered the challenge of solar panels with the shorter days (and the lower angle of the sun)! Another challenge for you. Get out here sometime for a fix of the Smokies in person! xoxo
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