Time, an Unlikely Ally, Maybe.

Time has come and gone, and remains. It consumes my life. Time marches slowly, and waits for no one. Why am I so obsessed with time? It grips me in its cold, clammy minute, second and hour hands. It crushes me under the weight of my own expectations. Time is my enemy, my friend, a ghost that haunts my waking minutes and my sleep.

If I leave the house without a watch I am a wreck. Normally it is a constant accessory, and if it lays lonely on the counter after my departure it is not unusual for me to turn around and go back. "My precious."

Once, at a basketball tournament a guy asks if I have a cell phone. "Yes, why?" He wanted to know what time it was. "I have a watch. In fact I have several. Today I am wearing this lovely little number, with a calendar, a stop watch, a count down timer, and multiple time zones. Would you like to see pictures of my other watches?"

"No, I just want to know what time it is?"

"Oh, it is a quarter after one, here, would you like to know what time it is in Beijing? The relative humidity?"

He walked away without saying anything.

Recently, I got a fitbit. It is a watch that counts my steps, measures my heart rate, and other stuff. But, it tells time, hooray! Unfortunately, it leaves me in a terrible dilemma. I don't want to not get credit for the steps I take and the stairs I climb, but I want to wear my other watches too.

I am a man in distress. I am adrift in a sea of minutes, untethered from the seconds, unsure of the barometric pressure, or the meal my brethren in Bangkok are preparing. Damn the muse that bought me the fitbit.

This picture is only for representative purposes.
I don't really have an Apple Watch, thank God,
that would make things worse

Summer Solstice, an important day, through the ages.

According to the television weather person this morning it is the first full day of summer. Summer is filled with happy memories, and we, here at Life Explained, love it. Of course, it was kicked off by Father's Day... wait, that isn't right, it was kicked off by the Summer Solstice.

During the June Solstice (Summer in the Northern Hemisphere, and Winter in the Southern) the sun is at it's furthest distance from the Equator.  The Earth's north pole is tilted directly towards the sun, at about 23.5 degrees. Which explains why all of the stuff kept sliding off the table yesterday, and the stairs seemed a little more difficult to climb.

Throughout the ages the Solstice has been a magical, mystical time.  People have celebrated by giving expensive, wonderful gifts to their Father... wait, hold on that isn't right. In Europe, people used to celebrate the Solstice by lighting fires to keep away the evil spirits. 

The ancient Egyptians felt the Summer Solstice was particularly important because it ushered in Sirius the brightest star in the night sky.  Shortly after the appearance of Sirius the Nile would overflow and flood the lands, which nourished the soil, and provided much of the food the Egyptians needed to survive. Obviously, the Egyptians were very good to their Father, giving him many wonderful gifts to celebrate...  wait, that wasn't what happened, at all.  As soon as the the Egyptian priests saw Sirius they declared the new year had begun.

China, Mesopotamia, Europe, the Americas, all had unique, spiritual celebrations for the the Solstice, in fact many people believe Stonehenge was built as a gift for the Druids daddio... wait, that isn't what anybody thinks.  Many people still believe that Stonehenge was built to predict the arrival of the Solstice.  Nobody had an Apple watch in those days, which would make an excellent gift, you know.

That concludes today's lesson on The Summer Solstice.  Tune in tomorrow when we discuss the do's and dont's of Fourth of July gift giving, or Don't forget Dad a true American Hero.