But this day of the year promises us eight months of light. Now, as we leave work in the late afternoon, we don’t need flashlights to get to our cars. People can walk, run, bike, skate or do whatever it is people do outside after work or even after an early dinner. And with each day from now until the summer solstice, it just keeps getting lighter later, lengthening our days.

The dark, dreary period of time from January until now is always a hibernation period for many of us. But now that we have light, we can emerge from our homes, spread our arms and let the sun beat down upon us with its vitamin D.