Start Of The Seasons ((full)) < PLUS >

We have been taught to divide our year by red circles on a calendar. Meteorological winter begins December 1. Spring arrives March 20 (give or take a day). Summer kicks off with the solstice in June. But if you have ever stepped outside on May 15 and smelled the specific chemistry of rain on hot pavement, you know that summer began two weeks ago.

So, stop checking the weather app to see if it is "officially" spring. Go outside. Look at the angle of the light. Smell the air. Your bones know the date better than your phone does. start of the seasons

The start of summer isn't the solstice; it is the first evening you cannot sleep because the air is too thick. It is the sound of the first lawnmower at 8:00 AM on a Saturday. It is the sudden realization that the refrigerator is full of wilting lettuce because you are eating dinner at 9:30 PM now. We have been taught to divide our year