The autumnal equinox occurs tomorrow, September 22, 2009, at 2:18 P.M. PDT. The Sun will appear to cross the celestial equator, from north to south, marking the beginning of autumn in the Northern Hemisphere. Day and night will be approximately equal, which is where we get the word equinox.
There will still be only 24 hours to get things done in each day and night combo, however, and for those of us who function better in daylight as opposed to darkness, there’s a six-month waiting period before we have the advantage over our night owl friends.
As much as I love the colors of autumn and the crispy-clean fresh air of fall, I intensely dislike the shorter periods of daylight. I’m definitely one of those seasonally affected people, but I have yet to find a doctor who will write me a tax-deductible prescription for travel to a country in the southern hemisphere for the winter months.
Maybe this will be the year I’ll try using those full-spectrum lights. Or maybe I’ll just turn my cheery Christmas lights on a few months early. Or maybe I’ll just make more of an effort to surround myself with positive, upbeat people this winter.
Just the thought of doing that makes me smile, and I feel better already.