Daylight Savings Time: Good or Evil?
Well, it's that time of year again. Time to spring forward.
On Sunday, March 14, 2021, do NOT forget to set your clocks forward one hour.
But, no need to wait that long to start rejoicing or grumbling. We can do that now.
Personally, though I will miss the light in the morning (because I will now be walking in the dark), I am happy that it means it will still be almost light when I get off work at 7 pm.
The last hour of work when it has turned completely night, I find myself sitting at my desk on the phone yawning and trying to stay awake and alert while dealing with fraud.
No other word for it: it's miserable.
But, in talking with others, it seems to be divided right down the middle between welcoming the change and calling it every name in the book. And, then some.
The last change passed right on by and was barely noticed. For that, I blame or credit being in lockdown and not depending on being outside as a guideline through the change.
Some of you may know how much I like to research things. This is no different. So...
I found out that there are several stories and credits for the beginning of Daylight Savings.
One source states that "the change" began in Thunder Bay, Canada in 1908. (Note 1)
That same source states that in "1905, independently from Hudson, British builder William Willett suggested setting the clocks ahead 20 minutes on each of the four Sundays in April, and switching them back by the same amount on each of the four Sundays in September, a total of eight time switches per year. Aren't you glad that changed?!?!" (Note 1)
Many sources, including Note 1, "Benjamin Franklin with being the first to suggest seasonal time change."
"There’s an age-old myth that Daylight Saving was a practice adopted to give farmers extra time in the sun to work out in the field. But, that’s not really why dozens of countries follow it." (Note 1)
I think there is little doubt that the time change does affect us all - both mentally and physically.
Never thought about it putting us at risk, though. Did you?
"Although more accidents may occur the first week after the time change due to drowsy drivers, other studies confirm the net effect is positive. The extra evening light helps cut the number of car accidents over the 8 months of daylight saving time, Prerau says." (Note 2)
Perhaps, because I need to see the humor in the bi-annual event, I even found some jokes about daylight savings:
"Daylight Savings Time ends today. So, I have to remind myself, that the clock on the microwave will be wrong for the next several months." (Note 2)
"Most modern clocks these days auto-update when daylight savings begins/ends. So this morning I’m walking around my house thinking wow… …times have changed. (Note 2)
"Why did Santa put a clock in his sleigh?… Because he wanted to see time fly!" (Note 2)
" At what time does a duck wake up?… At the quack of dawn." (Note 2)
My favorite of all, and I can't find a rock solid credit for it is a quote attributed to an older Native American: "Only the government would believe that you can cut a foot off the top of a blanket, sew it to the bottom, and get a longer blanket."
For those affected by SAD, which we discussed previously, (Note 3) has some excellent suggestions for dealing with the time change a bit better.
I love sunrise, and I will still get to watch that event. However, I also dearly love sunsets. Now I will get to see that awesome event, too.
Otherwise, the only thing I am doing to try to adjust as quickly as possible, is stocking up on coffee pods to caffeinate myself in the morning before chaining myself to the phone. LOL!
Maybe not the best option, and I have to cut the caffeine off after a cup or two, or I will be awake all night.
It's a Catch-22 trap, isn't it?
The last two (I think!) time changes were severely impacted by lockdown. I, for one, am hoping and praying that we ( in NC) are released back into the wild before Sunday, March 14.
I am curious to hear from you all about Daylight Savings. This is your official invitation to let it loose and tell us all how you feel, how you deal with it, and if we should keep on as a twice a year change, make it year round, or just do away with it.
It's your turn. Go!