The Power of Natural Light

I was so worked up yesterday about health insurance that I forgot to wish everybody a Happy Winter Solstice! The magical moment happened at approximately 10:27 last night, making this morning effectively the weakest sunrise we will experience all year. Yet here, we are, basking in its warm glow. Don't believe me? Look at the following picture:

Lots of Christmas related bustle today left Mr. Peanutbutter totally pooped. That, and the copious outdoor time with a beef bone treat.

Little Miss Sunshine noticed "smoke" rising off one of the chairs on our front deck this morning. It was snow being melted to water being evaporated to vapor by the sun's rays. Here we have light waves (or particles, I won't judge) travelling 93 millions miles across the cold void of space, melting snow on a 20 degree day here on Earth. What's more, it's not melting all the snow in town, in our front yard, or even on the entire chair. It is only melting the snow on the surface that is facing the sun most directly. That is a focused beam of infrared light travelling a very long way to heal and recharge us. People pay thousands of dollars to get that from a sauna, but it's right there for the taking, free of charge, at least for the time being. Take advantage of it. If you haven't started getting outside for sunrise, now is the prime time to start. Sunrise is the latest it will be all year for the next several days. If you're already up and out the door by 7:30, it should be super easy. You may just need to tweak your schedule a little bit to actually be outside for a few minutes. If you're the sleeping-in type, now is the time to start so you can ease your way into getting up and out just a tiny bit earlier every day. No matter how healthy or ill you think you are, getting outside daily at sunrise will help you feel even better.