It happened again!
Some government entity, decades ago, decided that it was to the advantage of American citizens to turn their clocks ahead one hour in the spring and back one hour in the fall. It is not-so-affectionately referred to as "spring forward, fall back, to help us turn the hands (or digits) on our clocks.
And so, we sprung ahead an hour several weeks ago.
Somehow, I didn't feel very "springy" Sunday morning when I woke up. I was already an hour behind in my usual Sunday morning routine. I didn't have time to fix the Sunday breakfast I usually fix for Sweetheart and me. However, I got to church in time, which is more than some people can say.
Every year medical experts appear on the evening news, outlining all of the detrimental effects the time change has on a person's body and emotions. Actually, we don't need any experts to point this out, as we experience them in our own lives.
It takes about a month to adjust our work and social lives to the new schedule. Unless you are wakened by an alarm, we wake up at our "old" time which is now an hour later than it used to be (or is it an hour earlier? I can never get it straight.). In fact, Sweetheart and I overslept an hour just this morning.
And, then, there's our stomachs to think about. They have a mind of their own, you know. They have to be reprogrammed--to eat when they are not hungry and to suppress hunger pangs when they are. They don't like that.
Once upon a time, there were advantages to adjusting our work schedules to the rising and setting of the sun and moon, but that time is past. Due to advances in technology, we can do what we want any time. Changing the clock just makes us mean. In fact, I attribute a lot of violence that occurs to this very thing.
Every year, I read a news release, buried in the back pages of the newspaper, that Congress is considering standardizing the time and eliminating the changing of the clocks, but it never comes to fruition. It's like every other government program--once it is enacted it is like scraping wallpaper off the wall.
Last night, I woke up in the middle of it, as I usually do. I went to the bathroom, as I usually do. I went to the kitchen to get a glass of water, as I usually do. It was 3:24 when I left the bedroom. After several minutes, when I arrived in the kitchen, it was 3:24. Did time go backward? I doubt it. It just kinda points out that a few minutes, or an hour, don't make a big impact in our lives if we spend it wisely.
I think the most important thing is what we do with the time we have. Let's use it to make the world a better place.
Dorothy is the author of two books—“Miles and Miracles” and “Getting It All Together “. You can purchase a book or send a comment by emailing her at dorothybutzknight@gmail.com