We did the big “Fall Back” last weekend and now somewhere
between 5 and 5:30, my world is plunged into total darkness. It always takes me a few days, maybe weeks,
to get used to this time change but I think it will be especially difficult
this time around.
You see, I used to associate the time when it got darker
earlier to the holiday season. Late
October or now early November, the days got shorter and here come the holidays! We just had Halloween; Thanksgiving was
coming up and then Christmas and New Year’s!
Nighttime seemed to enhance these holidays...well, maybe not Thanksgiving. This year though, it will probably take some
adjustment as I’m not really sure how I will react to the holidays this year,
but I’ll whine about that some other time.
For now, let’s talk about this so called Daylight Savings Time deal.
I always forget which time of the year is Standard Time and
which is Daylight Savings Time, but I never forget about Google and Google is
all knowing. We are currently in
Standard Time. We just finished Daylight
Savings Time. Doesn’t that seem
odd? Doesn’t the definition of “savings”
mean to “put away,” “store,” or “preserve?”
We’re not doing that in the summer. We’re wasting all that daylight and
making ourselves be in it longer. If
anything, it should be switched. November
through March should be Daylight Savings Time because we experience the
darkness more and then make the time between March and November, Standard Time. Doesn’t that make more sense? I feel like George Carlin. Perhaps he or some other comedian has ranted
on this same subject. I’m sure I’m not
the first.
Although, here’s the kicker:
I’m going on about Daylight Savings Time like I hate it but the truth
is, I hate Standard Time. I don’t like
it when it is dark at 5:00 but that’s the way it’s SUPPOSED to be; however
hating Standard Time just seems wrong.
Daylight Savings Time is something invented by the government to give
farmers more daylight to plow their crops.
Standard Time is just how it is.
You shouldn’t complain about something that just is and yet here I am
doing just that.
The only time we’re justified in complaining about Daylight
Savings Time is when we have to “Spring Forward” in March. We all moan and groan about losing that extra
hour of sleep but in reality, we’re all glad the days get “longer.” We want more sunlight in the early evenings
but sure enough come March, I’ll be seeing numerous Facebook statuses on how
they dread losing that hour of sleep just like I saw (and wrote) about the days
getting shorter in November. Truth is,
all this talk about gaining or losing an hour sleep is kind of silly. We all like the “extra hour” of sleep but it’s
an illusion. If you don't want to lose it, go to bed an hour earlier when the time changes. For me, the switch to Standard Time actually did
more than just give me that extra hour.
Lately I’ve been staying up late and thus, getting up late and I
generally like to get up early. Now with
the time change I’m ready to go to bed at 11 instead of midnight and I get up
at 6-6:30 instead of 7-7:30 (or 8…8:30).
Of course I’ll lose that when we have to Spring Forward even
though I want the longer days. MAN! This whole thing is a mixed bag of good and
bad feelings. Just look:
Change to Standard Time:
·
Gets dark too early: BAD
·
Get an extra hour of sleep: GOOD
Change to Daylight Savings Time:
·
Stays light later: GOOD
·
Lose an hour of sleep: BAD
This whole topic is emotionally and logically frustrating to
me and I’m not even sure the reason why we started the whole thing is still
valid. Don’t farmers generally get up
before the sun comes up anyway and are generally working after sundown? The days naturally get longer in the summer
so why do we need to shift the time? Of
course, all I’m doing here is voting for getting rid of Daylight Savings Time
and then I’ll be living in the dark at 5:00 every day of the year.
Sigh. How do Arizonians*
handle this?
* In case you didn't know, Arizona does not observe Daylight Savings Time.
