Happy Midsummer! (And wish us luck!)

SuZir

Well-Known Member
It's summer solstice at northern hemisphere today. Tomorrow will be the first day towards winter, but let's forget that and celebrate light, summer and life. We will have about three hour twilight between sunset and sunrise. Afterglow turns to dawn with nothing between.

Around here midsummer is second biggest holiday of the year after Christmas. And when Christmas to us is more or less Christian, calm, pious and celebrated with family indoors, Midsummer is the opposite. We turn at least half pagan, run to nature (our cities are totally deserted, you can be on the main street of our biggest city middle of the day for half an hour and see nothing else living that few seagulls or maybe one or two lost tourists) and have rowdy and wet celebrations outdoors with friends.

That of course has it's consequences. It's national sport to make bets and count drowned people during Midsummer weekend. Everyone driving to their summer cottages etc. to countryside also makes one gigantic traffic jam and lots of accidents. Scariest it is for people like us. Parents of lively boys in late teens/early twenties. Midsummer and boys like that is an accident waiting to happen. And this year we are promised warm and sunny, which makes accidents even more likely. Unfortunately we can't wrap them to bubble and hide to attic, but let them run and hope for the best.

This is first year we have two to worry about. Last year easy child was still tied to my apron strings, but this year it was time to let him celebrate with his friends. In cabin, in island, with only little adult supervision doing all kinds of things I don't approve. difficult child is on other cabin (apparently not in island but on the beach nevertheless) with his girlfriend and their friends doing those same things (but I kind of approve because he is old enough also legally) and I and husband are again in other island (on cabin and likely sleeping in our boat) with some of husband's siblings and friends doing more or less the same.

Few hours more work, some grocery shopping (in incredibly full store most likely) and we are off. And yeah, I do have dread in the pit of my stomach.

So wish us (and every other parent of lively children) luck that we get through this long weekend without drownings, alcohol poisonings or burns (discounting maybe mild sun burns.)
 
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BusynMember

Well-Known Member
Hi, Suz. Sounds like fun :)

Can everyone REALLY afford a summer cottage? No poverty or anything? NOBODY in the cities? Wow. I hope your kids respond to this in a responsible way. Sounds like fun, but I can't even imagine a city emptying out completely!!

I hope you all have a GREAT time!
 

SuZir

Well-Known Member
Not everyone has their own cottage, but most do have one in the family or friends have one and Midsummer is a holiday, when you invite friends and extended family. And if not anyone having a cottage in your family or close friends people often rent one with friends for Midsummer.

We of course do have poverty, because one is considered poor, if they belong to lowest income bracket. But we do have social benefits that guarantee certain income to absolutely everyone. It's of course not that high and you can't keep cottage with it, but you will have money to rent a flat and money for food and if you use it wisely, you can afford to rent a cottage for a week during summer or take other vacation.
 

BusynMember

Well-Known Member
Suzir, I won't guess too hard but sounds like you may live in one of those wonderful Scandanavian countries where the people believe all citizens should be taken care of. I really wish we had that here. Obviously you don't have the kind of poverty we do or people fighting against the poor so that many can barely sustain and being totally broke is a real fear for many of us. I commend your country :) You'd be amazed at how many AMericans think, "If they're poor, it's their fault. Let 'em get a job and I don't care. It doesn't affect ME." We don't have a strong sense th at all citizens are part of a community and that disturbs me. Many successful people believe because THEY managed to be successful, everyone is able, no matter how disadvantaged they were born or how bad the economy is or how deficient some of our schools are...I personally find that upsetting about our country.

And I hope you and everyone else has a blast!!! Sounds like tremendous fun!!!! :) I am jealous of this wonderful place you seem to live in. (I'm sure it isn't perfect, but to me it sounds better than here).
 
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