For thousands of years, human beings have marked the Summer Solstice because it is a moment when we feel especially connected to the Earth and our place within it. There is something ancient within us that responds to sunlight on our skin, cold water around our ankles, dirt beneath our fingernails, the smell of wild plants, and a fire that burns long after the sky grows dark.
And the same instincts that draw us toward the Earth are the ones that draw us toward one another. They inspire curiosity and creativity. They gather us around tables. They turn strangers into friends and friends into family. They remind us to laugh, to wonder, and to pay attention to the extraordinary fact that we get to be here at all.
The Summer Solstice is an invitation to return to these parts of ourselves. So this year, put your feet in a river, even if — or especially if — it’s cold. Lie down in the grass and watch the sky. Stay outside until the day finally gives up. Make something delicious. Look at the stars. Do something slightly unreasonable or unexpected and unearth new opportunities for personal growth!
1. Be impractical
The Summer Solstice is not a practical holiday. It’s about embracing life and taking risks and trying new things. This is the day to wear the shirt that makes you laugh. Put on the earrings that are just a little too much. Try the hobby you’ve been curious about.
Take the scenic route. Jump into the cold river. Buy the weird fruit at the farmers’ market because you have no idea what to do with it. Be impractical in order to push yourself into new experiences, and you’ll open new opportunities to grow!
2. Get Your Hands Dirty
For most of human history, people knew the Earth intimately. They knew which plants fed them, which plants healed them, and which plants would absolutely ruin their afternoon. That curiosity is still inside us! This Summer Solstice, learn the names of the plants around you. Pick herbs from the backyard. Smell a pine tree. Notice the wildflowers. Taste something that came directly from the ground. There are flavors of the Rockies everywhere around Estes Park, from local honey and jams to beers and syrups made from the landscape itself — have a taste of Colorado. (Just… if you don’t know what it is, don’t eat it.)
3. Stay Out(side) late
The Summer Solstice is the one day of the year when the sun practically begs you to ignore your bedtime. Embrace it! Eat a late dinner outside. Take the long walk! Let a conversation wander into subjects nobody expected to discuss. Watch the mountains change color as the evening settles in. Sit on the porch until someone says, “Wait, what time is it?” and then refuse to go to bed. Tomorrow will be there in the morning. But this day will be gone. Embrace this day!
4. Enjoy the gifts of the sun
Summer Solstice is a reminder that every meal begins with sunlight — the tomatoes, the herbs, the berries, the flowers — all of it started when a star ninety-three million miles away sent its energy across space to the Earth, where a small plant soaked it up, processed it, and used it to produce something marvelous. This Summer Solstice, celebrate the gifts of our sun and take a minute to acknowledge the fact that the smallest things around you have come from the most amazing things around you.
5. Talk about things
Human beings have been gathering around fires for thousands of years, and not just because they were warm. This is where we shared stories. Where we passed down knowledge. Where we explained the stars, debated ideas, laughed until we cried, and asked the big questions. Where do we come from? Why are we here? Is there life beyond Earth? Why does your uncle insist he can fix everything with duct tape?
The Summer Solstice is a reminder to stay up a little later and have the conversations that don’t fit neatly between errands and appointments. Learn something from somebody. Tell somebody something they’ve never heard before. Share your dreams, your ideas, and your ambitions so somebody else might grow from it. And ask questions! Feed your soul.
