We are just ten days away from the Summer Solstice. This year it falls on Saturday, the 20th of June. I will plan a celebration to not only celebrate the start of summer; but to also bring heartfelt gratitude for the recent pandemic. You may think I am crazy, but when we can be grateful for those challenges that help us to awaken to a higher consciousness; we find freedom and a sense of inner strength. The pandemic has taught each of us a lot about ourselves, not only individually, but also as a global community. Maybe it was necessary to push humanity into a new era of selflessness, empathy, and inclusivity. It has made more people aware of the importance of our basic necessities. It has humbled us, whether or not we agree with the governmental institutions that have sought to exert more power over us. Change is never easy, yet we have all been required to make changes in recent months. We can step confidently into a new era, or we can resist, kicking and screaming like toddlers when they cannot have their way. The choice is ours.
Summer Solstice has always been a bittersweet day for me. While I am grateful for the arrival of summer and flowers and warmer weather; I know that each day thereafter takes us closer to another winter. This year; however, I will remember to pause often during my day to appreciate each and every moment of summer. Three days ago, the beautiful, white Dutch Iris that were already planted here by someone else, began to bloom. I know that each day I will be gifted with another surprise bloom, or a vegetable that is ready to be harvested. I will have frequent visitors to my garden – butterflies, dragon flies, damsel flies, praying mantis, bumblebees, honey bees, hummingbirds, and hawkmoths – and many others. I have planted a polyculture consisting of about sixty different plants. If I am still here next year, I will have several more. I will plant more shrubs and trees and fruits and berries. I will slowly, but surely, remove the bitter from the sweet.
