Summer Solstice

There’s something special about the summer solstice, even for those who don’t yet understand the ‘why’ of it. On the summer solstice, the sun reaches its furthest point from the equator, resulting in the longest day and shortest night of the year. This year, the Hudson Valley will enjoy over 15 hours of daylight as the sun reaches its peak on June 21 at 4:24 a.m. EDT.

For thousands of years, people have lived in alignment with the sun. Ancient monuments were built based on the path of sunrise. Farmers utilized the changing sun to mark the growing season. Communities gathered to celebrate warmth and abundance. Long before smartphones and calendar apps, people looked to the sky to orient themselves in the world. In many ways, the solstice invites us to do the same – even now.

Oak trees don’t know the date and time, but can still produce a mast dropping of acorns in coordination with all the other oaks in the region. Bobolinks won’t track deadlines, yet go through the same annual cycle of breeding, migration, overwintering, and remigration each year. A field of strawberries sends up its first flowers each season according to temperature and a millennium of ecological mastery, rather than an AI optimized schedule suggestion.

This solstice is a gentle reminder that people are still part of such rhythms.

As the sun lingers a little longer in the sky this year, consider spending some of the extra daylight outdoors. Visit a favorite trail and smell the leaves as the sunshine filters through. Sit by a stream and listen to the wind as it mixes with moving water. Watch the sunset and notice the fireflies blinking though the dusk.

On the longest day of the year, perhaps the greatest gift is simply to step outside and remember that we belong to something bigger than ourselves.