First day of summer... sigh

Today (20 June) is the official first day of summer -- the longest day of the year. Well, the day with the most daylight hours, at least. Today (and tomorrow) the sun rose at 5:30 and won't set until 8:35, giving those of us at 40.58° Latitude 15 hours and 5 minutes of official daylight (16:12 if you count twilight).

I love the long days and short nights that summer brings. For those of us who work from early til (relatively) late, it's sooo nice to have a few hours of sunlight after you finally get home from work. It just makes everything seem so much better. Not going to work in the dark is nice, too.

But since today is the solstice - the "point at which the sun seems to stand still," [Middle English, from Old French, from Latin sōlstitium : sōl, sun; see sāwel- in Indo-European roots + -stitium, a stoppage; see stā- in Indo-European roots.] - it also means that ever day for the next six months will be shorter than the last, and frankly, I find that really depressing. I spend all winter and spring wishing that the sun was up for longer, and when it finally gets here, it slips away so fast.

Sigh... Happy summer.