Four seasons

I like the run-up to summer solstice, since my mood gets elevated by the incremental lengthening of daytime. This is especially noticeable in places away from the equator where summer days are long and winter days are short, which is striking for me as I grew up in Hong Kong which does not have such marked seasonal contrasts (Summer 2001 which was my first summer ever spent in the U.K. was a shocking experience for me as I was stunned to see daylight all the way from early hours of the morning till quite late at night; my visit to Kristiansand, Norway in May 2015 was even more spectacular as it did not get dark till after midnight and it was bright again by about 0400!). By the same token, I dislike the period after summer solstice, especially leading up to winter solstice where, despite of the festive atmosphere, the exponential shortening of daytime usually has a negative impact on my mood. At the time of writing, we have just entered Fall (September 2023) and, back to school aside, I am beginning to see summer vibes rapidly dissipate and daytime shortening while autumnal rains are becoming more regular here in the UK. I am a night owl and I like working late at night and often through the night, since, while I do not consider myself to be nocturnal, I enjoy working while human activity around me is at its minimum and my mind can focus in dead silence. Such mode of working (and living) means that I get to see daybreak and observe how it shifts at different points of the year. Seeing daybreak recede is thrilling, as it excites me to see light filter through my curtain earlier and earlier in the day (night). The run-up from spring to summer is hence awesome, since I get to see daylight seep into my residence earlier and earlier in the night (as early as 0345 at the peak of the summer season, which is also when birds start chirping at daybreak). The reverse process of seeing daybreak move forward is dreadful, and there is nothing more depressing for me than to see less and less daylight day after day. This is most obvious when dusk begins to creep forward from 2200 in the summer to as early as 1500 in the winter. In transitional seasons such as autumn when darkness begins to outlast daytime and take over our daily routine, I need to find a way to reinvigorate my system, and this I do by reminding myself why I, paradoxically, like working through the night where darkness abounds, even though I dislike wintry darkness. I mentioned above that I like working at night because I like to work in dead silence when there is minimal human activity, and now that nighttime is getting longer in our rapid descent into winter, this is potentially a very productive and beneficial period for me as I can take advantage of these lenghty nights and extend my working hours and make sure that I get as much done as possible. The weather is still depressing, which I can do nothing about, but my attitude towards it can be controlled as long as I think flexibly and adopt different perspectives, and rather than seeing darkness as a mental obstruction, I can flip it over and use it as an opportunity for professional advancement. Bring on winter solstice!