Is It Just Me or Is It Getting Darker in Here?

We've passed the Summer Solstice this week. The sun has gone as high as it will go, and each day will travel in an arc closer and closer to the horizon. Days are getting shorter, and the sunrise and sunset will be at points further and further to the south until next December.

But, now, here is the question. Only one day into Summer can't you feel it already? Don't you look up at the way the sun casts a shadow, and say to yourself "Something is different". Don't you have brief intuitive glimpses at how precious and beautiful Summer is, and how fleeting?

Most people dismiss this, thinking to themselves "Probably never noticed it before, that's all!" But, no -- your body has a very precise internal clock. And it's mysteriously and wonderfully constantly updating itself using the overwhelming sensory information provided to the brain. Without your thinking about it, your body tracks a correlation between shadows and light, and time, and makes its long-range plans. And it knows - your body knows with certainty of its integrated role in the clockwork of the universe.

Here's an experiment - as you're going to bed tonight, just look at your bedside clock and tell yourself to get up just three minutes before the alarm goes off. Next morning, you'll wake up, and if you look at the clock, you'll find it's exactly three minutes before your alarm is set to sound -- and then you'll curse Excelsior for cheating you out of three minutes of sleep!

Thanks for listening and contributing. For up-to-the-minute thoughts, come on over to twitter.com I'm @dimbulb52