It’s *officially* summer! Yesterday, June 21st, was the summer solstice–known today more commonly as the first day of summer, and historically known as Litha, an ancient Celtic celebration of the longest day of the year.
The Celts and early Europeans might have celebrated the summer solstice by setting wheels on fire and rolling them down hills, enjoying hilltop bonfires, and/or staying up all night (well, it’s the shortest night of the year, so why not? 😉 ). Which is why it seems fitting that I found myself unable to fall asleep at three a.m. this morning . . .
I wasn’t feeling festive, though. Actually, I was feeling anxious–more anxious than I’d realized during the day. It isn’t too surprising: after all, I have a book releasing in August, and a lot to learn about marketing and putting myself out there. But as I lay there, writing out drafts of this blog post in my head, I realized two things:
a) I love my work right now so much that it increases my background anxiety, because I’m so invested in it!
and
b) What’s making me anxious isn’t the work itself . . . it’s other people.
Duh, right? But hold on a second. We tend to think of writing as a solitary pursuit–the writer shut up along with a typewriter, drinking coffee at all hours. Anxious about deadlines, maybe, but otherwise consumed with work.
But that’s not at all what was in my head last night. I wasn’t thinking about my story or my publishing deadline of August 12 (well, not very much, at least). Instead I was worried about how I’d answer concerns brought up by my writing club, or whether I’d emailed that other author back about doing a blog swap, or if my latest note to my editor had been too goofy, or if my social media was doing enough, or if that post I made in a professional writing organization had been too far out of left field . . .
Hmm. I deal with more people on a regular basis these days than I ever have before.
And, interestingly, this is what ancient observations of Litha were all about (aside from the fun of rolling a flaming wheel down a hill)–balance and change. The summer solstice marks a turning point between the days growing longer and the days slowly shortening. The Celts had a mythology around this: essentially, while the Oak King ruled Litha and the warm months, the Holly King ruled winter and Yule. At the equinoxes, they’d battle, and one king would lose so that the seasons could progress. So even though Litha is a celebration, it’s a recognition that things are about to change, too.
And I am so, so excited about what I’m doing, but I’m also having to grow a lot as a person. 😉
If you missed the solstice yesterday and would like to enjoy it now, just go outside! The easiest way to celebrate the seasons changing is simply to notice them. Just please, don’t set any wheels on fire, okay? 🙂 You can also check out this mini-story I wrote last year about a mysterious crime wave during the summer solstice in Belville here!
