Today is the summer solstice, the longest day, the shortest night of the year. The day when the sun is highest in the sky. From now until the winter solstice, the sun will begin its descent, and our days will get shorter, our nights longer. That’s right, for those of us who love sunshine, it’s all downhill from here.

Other than today being the solstice, it hasn’t been remarkable. This morning after breakfast I read an entire (short) book about essential tremors, a neurological/movement disorder that runs in my family and amounts to involuntary shaking, usually of the arms. One of my friends who has it calls it Jazz Hand Syndrome. Anyway, I’ve been aware of this book for a while but have been putting off reading it because, What if the suggestions are too hard or don’t work? Alas, tired of this sort of thinking, I tackled the book today. And whereas some parts of its protocol for healing (with which the author has seen 80 to 90 percent improvement) are going to require vigilance (cut out coffee, alcohol, and products containing aluminum), I’ve done more difficult things before. And since my issue with tremors isn’t in need of immediate attention, I at least have the weekend to caffeinate, toss back a beer, and think about things.

All while wearing deodorant.

That’s right, deodorant has aluminum in it.

One of the contentions of the tremors book is that our bodies develop diseases and disorders when we are out of balance with our environment. This could look like something being off-kilter in your diet (like having a food sensitivity or, uh, just eating junk) or even in your job or relationships. Seen from this perspective, our bodies are our partners, not our enemies. They let us know when something needs our attention.

This is a viewpoint I’ve believed in theory for a long time and am slowly coming around to in practice and experience–that my body is my friend. Of course, this is difficult to believe when it’s in pain. For months my neck has been bothering me, and try as I might I’ve yet to figure out what it’s attempting to tell me. (Maybe “Stop pushing yourself so hard” or “Stop looking at your damn phone all the time.”) That being said, I’ve been working with fascial release lately and have seen improvements. Not miracles, but improvements. This afternoon I read an entire (short) book about fascia called Touching Light by Ronelle Wood that convinced me even more that our bodies are intelligent and capable of solving long-standing problems.

For a quick glimpse at the amazing web of light and water that lives inside of and is you, check out this video.

This evening I began reading ANOTHER (short) book, this one called Hear Your Body Whisper: How to Unlock Your Self-Healing Mechanism by Otakara Klettke. And whereas I just started, its main idea seems to be that rather than follow someone else’s diet or health regimen, you should learn to listen to and follow your individual body’s wisdom. Because only your body knows what you need to heal. Maybe you need whole milk, asparagus, and a divorce; maybe I need electrolytes, salted nuts, and a good lay.

I’m just saying–we all have our needs.

One thing all this reading has been teaching me is that nothing is ever truly hopeless. Well, maybe a problem could FEEL hopeless if you never read books. But if you read books, I swear, there is a veritable wealth of information out there to address, treat, and potentially cure nearly every problem humanity has ever faced. Is it overwhelming to sort through all this information? Yes, it certainly can be. But is it also fun to play detective, learn new things, and–more importantly–learn about yourself in the process? For sure. And here’s something. Once you learn to make friends with your mind and body, regardless of what the sun’s doing, your days will be brighter, I promise. You’ll walk through life lighter. When you make friends with yourself, it’s all uphill from there.