What’s in an Hour? by Debra H. Goldstein
The other day, I did something unusual for me. It was one of the few days that I didn’t need to be somewhere in the morning, so I didn’t set an alarm. I still woke up just before eight a.m. but decided to turn over for a few minutes. The next time I looked at the clock, it read a few minutes after ten.
For a moment, I felt guilty. There were so many things I could have done had I gotten out of bed when I woke up or even by nine. Then, I decided maybe what I had needed most was the hour of peaceful rest. I had to admit, I felt good. In fact, when I swung my legs off the bed, I didn’t groan to myself.
On November 1, at two a.m., we will set our clocks back an hour as part of Daylight Savings Time. Doing this returns us to standard time. It also means that unlike the change we made in March, when we set our clocks ahead an hour, we gain back an hour of sleep. That will make me a happy camper because I can sleep without guilt that I’m missing out on doing something.
I hate to tell the powers-that-be that in March, for me, I always have thoughts about the fact that I will never regain that hour. Imagination runs rampant about what I could have done during that time. The possibilities are endless. Compose a poem. Write a short story. Bake a cake. Do my laundry. You can imagine the myriad of other things that crosses my mind. Yet, I never do anything to reclaim the hour.
What would you do with an extra hour gained or lost?
I know it's an extra hour, but I don't like to leave and return home from work in the dark...
ReplyDeleteTo be honest, I never think of it as a lost or gained hour. I go to bed when I am tired; I get up when I am awake. I take a nap when I need it, which is most days. But I agree with Heather: when I was working, I never minded going to work in the dark; I hated leaving work in the dark.
ReplyDeleteAt one point, I worked the overnight shift in a steel fabrication plant. Once a year, the shift would only run seven hours, but we convinced the poor timekeeper that since we'd punched in at midnight and out at 8 am we deserved eight hours pay. In the fall, we convinced the poor woman that, since we'd actually worked nine hours, we deserved an hour of overtime.
ReplyDeleteOh, I love getting that extra hour to sleep in come November! The springtime change is the one that I always get grumpy with.
ReplyDeleteI always feel guilty when I discover I've slept longer than usual. Which is silly. I never feel guilty about falling asleep while watching TV at night.
ReplyDeleteI hate walking the dogs at 5pm in the dark. I wear a headlamp and yellow safety vest. By the end of January, we have more daylight in the early evening.
ReplyDeleteI have to admit I love the extra hour of guilt.free sleep! What would I do with an extra hour, especially in the morning? Sleep in!
ReplyDeleteThat was me above. I don’t know why it wouldn’t let me post my name. Shari
DeleteLOL – I vote we stay standard! As for the extra hour, it reminds me of my workmates who spent the first week of the time change commenting that it is x o’clock, but really, it’s y o’clock! I always chuckled privately, but since I don’t suffer from jet lag either, I kept my comments to myself!
ReplyDeleteI go through the same feelings of “if only”. I need to stop and just sleep if I want. I am still training myself that laundry can wait.
ReplyDeleteBorrowing from Peter to pay Paul. I never fret about the lost or gained hour. And I never count sleeping hours as wasted. That said, I do try to use every waking hour productively.
ReplyDeleteWe go through this discussion every spring and fall. Congress has been trying to pass legislation for a number of years with bi-partisan support. The House voted on it but the Senate went home before a vote was taken so nothing was done to affect this fall change,
ReplyDeleteIt makes a difference in the winter when it is cold and dark earlier and it is harder to see icy patches during the time you are more likely to be walking or. going home, in the late afternoon around four or five o’clock.
What I do with the extra hour of daylight in the spring is just enjoy the light it provides. i look forward to Dec 22 when the amount of light starts to increase. I don’t envy the northern geographical areas in the winter but do appreciate the longer periods of light available in the spring and summer
More time to read!
ReplyDeleteTime to read and edit! It's amazing what an extra hour does to my sense of productivity!
ReplyDeleteOMG... you've hit a nerve. Just leave me on Standard Time. My body will regulate in a wondereful way and kids won't have to wait at the bus stop as long in the total dark. I have left one clock in my writing area at what I consider the 'right' time. Leave it alone. Our crops (except for the drought) are just fine. Let my body acclimate in a natural way.
ReplyDelete