Land of the Midnight Sun

I never realized how much I missed darkness. How much I enjoyed the sun setting and rising; the regular cadence of sun and moon, blue skies and dark ones. But in the land of the midnight sun, it dawned, not literally, but figuratively.

Constant lightness messes with you, as I’m sure the constant dark would as well. You’re never really sure if it’s time to sleep or time to get up. No level of eye masks and blackout curtains can really block it out. The sun is out there, daylight, even dusk light, is waiting for you.

I imagine winter is harder. Much more so. Through the aurora borealis would provide spectacular and colorful icing on a very, very, very dark cake.

I can’t imagine living in a place where the sun never rises or sets for days at a time. I’m not wired that way. We talked to lots of people, mostly seasonal workers, who loved it. But it didn’t seem as though the passion was enough to make the move permanent. Even the native Alaskans or current year round residents talked about getting away for a few weeks or months during the depths of dark winters.

So as we moved southward, along the rugged and beautiful Alaskan coast and the sun actually set, it all felt like things were normalizing. Putting biorhythms, routines and REM cycles back in balance.

So why not spend some time next summer in Scandinavia?