It’s ironic — a cosmic joke, or at least an earthly one. The summer solstice is approaching (Sunday). The days have been growing longer, and the solstice marks the apex: the day with the longest period of daylight of the year. The irony is that right after the summer solstice the days begin to get shorter. The first day of summer is the starting point of a slow turn back toward winter and the longest nights of darkness!

You could respond to that irony with melancholy, in which case you’d be overlooking the several months ahead that will surely bring plenty of light and warmth to enjoy. Or, you could see the irony as a wake-up call, acknowledging that the radiance of summer doesn’t last forever. Make hay while the sun shines.

The glass is half full, yes. But, you can enjoy that half instead of bemoaning what you will miss.

After class a couple days ago, as the students got up to leave, I said: “Enjoy your life.” As these words came out of my mouth, I initially wanted to swallow them back. The words seemed to convey a sense of finality, like I would not see them again. But they came from a good place in my heart, as a good wish, not a farewell, but rather bidding them to “fare well,” to be well and to enjoy being. I really wanted to say “enjoy your day,” but why not “enjoy your life”? Life is a wonderful gift, even with the pain and suffering that inevitably comes with living on this plane as a human being. “LIfe does bring some discomfort and pain to every being,” writes Swami Nirmalananda in her June teachings article (Time & Timelessness). “A yogi moves through them with equanimity, happy even in the midst of difficulties.”

The very first sentence of that article is:

“Infinite Beingness is being finite by being you.”

You were given this finite body so you could experience Infinite Beingness. Enjoy your Infinite Beingness while you still have this body to live in, while you still have this planet to live on, while you still have the light and warmth of the sun to make life possible.

Enjoy your life!