Swallowing an hour
One Spring, about 15 years ago, when the time changed from Standard to Daylight Saving, I was in a children's literature class, learning to write books for young people. (For those readers in countries other than the U.S. and Canada who may not know about Daylight Saving Time, it's a shift of the clock an hour forward in Spring so as to prolong the daylight hours so that the sun sets an hour later by the clock than it would on Standard Time.) It was a delightful class, mostly because we got introduced to lots of amazing children's books, like my favorite, Missing May, which is poignant and funny, too, and my next favorite, Martha Speaks, which I have come close to wetting my pants reading, so hilarious is it!
Our instructor assigned us the task of writing a children's story about where the hour went that we "lost" when the changeover occurred. I wish I could clearly recall the story I came up with, but I do remember that the gist of it was that it was launched into orbit in outer space, to swoop back to Earth in October when we resumed Standard Time. My favorite, however, was the story someone else in the class came up with. She postulated that we swallowed the hour and stored it till autumn when we then brought it up and used it, kind of like stored food or something. It just seemed to describe how "losing" an hour feels.
Last night, I had fallen asleep on the daybed with the TV on, and slept for quite awhile. Of course, when I got up, I was energized, and didn't immediately go to bed. I was at the computer surfing somewhat aimlessly, when I noticed the computer clock: 3:17! Holy moly! I had completely forgotten about the time change, which is several weeks earlier than usual this year. And even 2:17 was stretching it for a time I wanted to retire by. So I hustled myself to bed and lay there, willing myself to sleep, which of course, did nothing for my actually falling asleep. So today, I'm acutely feeling that swallowed-the-hour thing. I suspect there's nap in my near future...
All in all, though, I do love Daylight Saving Time. Being a night owl, it really suits me. Rick, on the other hand, being a morning lark, has to endure it getting light later so that he has to rise in the dark to get ready for work, and midsummer, often goes to bed before it's dark outside. Staying light longer is not as useful now, when it's still cold out, but come garden season, I won't mind that I had a little time-change indigestion for the opportunity to have extra hours to play outside!
Our instructor assigned us the task of writing a children's story about where the hour went that we "lost" when the changeover occurred. I wish I could clearly recall the story I came up with, but I do remember that the gist of it was that it was launched into orbit in outer space, to swoop back to Earth in October when we resumed Standard Time. My favorite, however, was the story someone else in the class came up with. She postulated that we swallowed the hour and stored it till autumn when we then brought it up and used it, kind of like stored food or something. It just seemed to describe how "losing" an hour feels.
Last night, I had fallen asleep on the daybed with the TV on, and slept for quite awhile. Of course, when I got up, I was energized, and didn't immediately go to bed. I was at the computer surfing somewhat aimlessly, when I noticed the computer clock: 3:17! Holy moly! I had completely forgotten about the time change, which is several weeks earlier than usual this year. And even 2:17 was stretching it for a time I wanted to retire by. So I hustled myself to bed and lay there, willing myself to sleep, which of course, did nothing for my actually falling asleep. So today, I'm acutely feeling that swallowed-the-hour thing. I suspect there's nap in my near future...
All in all, though, I do love Daylight Saving Time. Being a night owl, it really suits me. Rick, on the other hand, being a morning lark, has to endure it getting light later so that he has to rise in the dark to get ready for work, and midsummer, often goes to bed before it's dark outside. Staying light longer is not as useful now, when it's still cold out, but come garden season, I won't mind that I had a little time-change indigestion for the opportunity to have extra hours to play outside!
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