solstice

"In pre-historic times, summer was a joyous time of the year for those Aboriginal people who lived in the northern latitudes. The snow had disappeared; the ground had thawed out; warm temperatures had returned; flowers were blooming; leaves had returned to the deciduous trees. Some herbs could be harvested, for medicinal and other uses. Food was easier to find. The crops had already been planted and would be harvested in the months to come. Although many months of warm/hot weather remained before the fall, they noticed that the days were beginning to shorten, so that the return of the cold season was inevitable." Link

so i wanted to celebrate the solstice this year and it was kind of a last minute deal, so i texted everyone i knew. i decided that i want this day to be a new beginning, since it is the longest day of the year. i wanted to celebrate the sun and the energy it provides to all living things. so i decided that the best way to do that would be to go out and enjoy the sunset at the beach. i wanted this to be a new beginning for me. i've had a rather stressful last few months and today was a great way for me to put positivity and beauty forward into my life. not to say that i haven't learned a lot about myself in the past few months, but today was a time to reflect and enjoy.

i gathered a small crew and we met up at alameda beach. we talked and laughed and just enjoyed each other's company. it was so beautiful to see the sunset. i haven't really seen one in a while and it was beautiful. i had my polaroid camera, so i took some pictures. everyone had a great time. we then capped off the night by going to la pinata in alameda for dinner. it was so nice to be so relaxed and comfortable, surrounded by framily.

i have realized that taking care of all of me is a lot of work. there are so many different parts to me and i have done a lot of digging and searching and working on myself. today was a day to celebrate the work that i have done, but also to reaffirm that this is a lifelong process and not a quick fix. it was a way for me to take care of myself but also to re-commit myself to the work that i have started doing on myself. the sun really is a life force for all things on earth and it was my way of paying homage to the greater powers in life. i feel honored to have such a great life and such a great community and family to surround me. every moment is a learning experience and i am committed to learning from all of them.