Walking outside yesterday I realized I was not SAD, even though the solstice was just three days away. In fact, I was very nearly gleeful. And the feeling has persisted. It’s like it’s late February and spring is coming!
@philipbrewer I’d realized the other day that the early darkness hasn’t seemed quite so early this year, despite the fact we are almost to the shortest day of the year—and I have had to cover the garden for a couple of days on two separate occasions already.
On the other hand, my feet are permanently cold today, and that hasn’t happened in a couple of winters….
@smokey Remember that latest sunrise and earliest sunset aren't at the solstice. Where I live the earliest sunset was 4:27 PM from December 1st through December 13th. The latest sunrise won't be reached until December 31st when it'll be 7:15 AM, which lasts through January 9th.
@philipbrewer I didn’t realize that; it looks like here, the earliest sunset is around 5:26 from Nov 30-Dec 6 (and it’s really the early darkness, not so much length of daylight, that upsets me), so even though the days are not technically growing longer yet, it is gradually staying light at a later time….
@smokey It makes a big difference for people who work regular jobs and have to stay at work until the end of the workday. I have a friend who’s a runner, and it’s a big deal to him as well. (In fact, it is from him that I learned about the analemma.)