Fall...Back!

Just in case you aren't aware - this weekend is the end of Daylight Savings time. We get to "fall back" and gain a extra hour of sleep. This Sunday, November 4th, at 2:00 a.m. we set our clocks back by one hour. Every year on the second Sunday of March we "spring forward" and lose an hour, and then the first Sunday of November we "fall back" and gain that hour back! Can I tell you how much the time change messes with me and I bet it does with you too! Is that one hour worth the sleep deprivation or the mess it makes with our body clocks? It takes me about two weeks to get back to normal, but it is all part of life and eventually we all adapt.

I have never really understood why this ritual takes place every year. So I did some research and learned that in 1918 the Standard Time Act was established to maximize daylight hours - and it was mainly established to save energy and to "conserve fuel that would promote national security and defense". This act has been challenged many times, so in 1966 Congress passed the Uniform Time Act to make sure it stayed in place. In 2005, the time frame was extended and the Energy Policy Act was put in place for the existing time frame. Currently, Daylight Savings time is on the chopping block and they may want to repeal the act entirely. Until the "powers that be" make up their minds - we are pretty much required to adapt to the time change.

So in the spirit of being positive, maybe we should look at this extra hour as a gift. We are always asking for more hours in the day and now we actually get one. I believe at this stage in my life that every day is a gift, every hour an opportunity, and every minute - well - precious. We shouldn't waste any time. I remember my mom always telling me "you don't get this day back" and we won't get this hour back either. So I plan to make good use of that extra hour - maybe write a new story, call a friend that I have been meaning to call, do something kind for someone else, or just take that time to be more grateful.

What will you do with that extra hour?

Remember ......be grateful....for extra time.....

Until we talk again.......