I was making a note on my old fashioned monthly calendar on my kitchen wall at home this morning and realized that Daylight Savings Time (DST) starts on Sunday. Time to spring forward. Alleluia!
I love DST. I know losing an hour of sleep is inconvenient and stressful. It takes time to recover. But at some point in the week following the start of DST, the joy of having some actual day left in the day settles on me and makes me so, so happy.
This is one of those rare situations where we get more than we give. One hour of sleep in exchange for seven months of a lighter life. I did a quick survey of the RT 5th floor to learn how our team feels about the extra daylight.
- It gives Terri French more energy. "I feel better and I want to do more."
- Our resident gastronome, Laura Yarbrough, relishes the chance to sip wine at a sidewalk café or patio. "It's fine if it gets dark while you're there. But you must start while the sun is still shining."
- Suzanne Lange walks with her dog as opposed to simply walking her dog. Every dog owner knows what she's talking about.
- Timothy Rodgers, Jr. says the extra light makes his post-work exercise routine more enjoyable and safer - especially running downtown.
- "The days are longer in a good way. I do more and like what I'm doing better," observes Ben Brown. Laura Duplain agrees with Ben.
- The only hesitation was expressed by Rachel Barbieri. Her young kids don't buy it that it's time for bed if it's still daylight. (Blackout shades, Rachel!)
Is there a way we could get around that pesky lost hour of sleep? What about declaring the Monday following the launch of DST a national holiday: Daylight Savings Monday. That way we'd have a full day to recover.
If we'd like to put more of an historical spin on it we could call it Ben Franklin Day, since he was the one who thought up the idea back in 1784 (although it wasn't started here until 1918). Isn't it about time one of the most interesting Americans had his own day?
Ben Franklin Monday, 2013. Who's with me?
