The Sunshine Effect

Every morning, I wake up to sunlight seeping through the wooden slats of our blinds. I am instantly reminded that I am in sunny South Florida, and I feel happy and relaxed. When I open the blinds, I see sunlight reflected on the water of the lake behind our condo. The effect is dazzling.

When I lived in the mountains of western Maine, I rarely saw the sun in the winter. In fact, at our altitude, it snowed almost every day. The effect was deadening. By April, when snow still covered the ground, people who could, took vacations in a warmer, sunnier place. T.S. Eliot wrote that “April is the cruelest month.” It is the most likely time of suicides in Maine.

We know that some people are depressed by long winters and have what is called Seasonal Affective Disorder or SAD. Not surprisingly, one treatment of this disease is light exposure. In most cases, artificial light is used.

A trip to Florida or the Caribbean would probably have the same effect. When I still worked up north and vacationed in Florida for a week in March, I remember how looking at the turquoise blue ocean sparkling in the sun lifted my spirits. I also remember a yearning to stay on the beach at Sanibel Island or at the pool in Delray.

Of course, we have cloudy days and rain in South Florida. However, the showers are usually tropical which means a cloud burst that can drench you but is over in 10 minutes. Just recently, we sought shelter from a short shower on the golf course. When we returned to play, we experienced light rain and sunshine at the same time along with a double rainbow. My golfing friend from Montreal said that the French have an expression for this weather, "Le diable bas sa femme." (The devil beats his wife.)

I know that the winter has been long and hard for many of my friends and family members. May you have sunshine in your life today at whatever latitude you live.