Blessed Litha!

Source: ilcamminodeinovizi.blogspot.com

Welcome to the longest day of the year! The light of the Sun stretches out long and warm and lits the sky in cool colors. They are cool here, since this is pretty much the middle of the rainy season... or something like that.

The celebration is all about the Sun and the Positive Energy, the Activity, Labor and Achievement. In some places people still celebrate Midsummer with a midnight bonfire, but that's not used here, as most people are oblivious of this day and the actual lenght of the daylight. My dear friend Trish shared with me a few pictures of the Midsummer Bonfire they'll have there where they live. I'm so totally envious!

During this celebration, filled with color yellow and Sun themed motives and vibes, one thing that comes to mind is actually work. I'm on the last days of an ILO virtual class I'm taking about Decent Labor, and that has made me more aware of the conditions jobs should have and ensure to the workers, but which are constantly denied and often - when demanded - even considered an abuse from the worker's side. And you know what's the funniest thing? That often the Goverment that allow abuse to go on, have also signed the Labor Conventions and swear to be doing "all they can" to implement them.

Then, when we talk about labor we also talk about the work we do as labor force, but also all the activities we do - including chores, studies, errands, things we have taken responsability for, that depend from us to get done - that yield a result depending on how well and how laboriously have we worked on them. As the light of the year peaks, in the solar symbols around us, the energy of the active light and energy, we can celebrate hard work, remember ourselves that yes, we can get the extra mile and year after year we can do it to improve our work. The light is peaking, and from this moment on, the light, the active effort will slowly receede giving space for peace, rest and meditation, but not as a sudden phenomenon, but a gradual thing.

Work hard, never shy from sweating and pushing yourself to achieve your goals, but then, as your effort peaks, know to start cutting yourself some slack without letting go entirely. The seaking for balance start again.

Some people usually try to save their energy, do the minimum to just get what they want - and that they want it to yield to the maximum - never understanding then why they never feel really happy, why even the biggest achievement loses its luster minutes after reaching it. When the work is hard and the process is long, so the results are celebrated and enjoyed the most. You see, it's worth to work hard. :-)