Daylight savings time switched over the weekend, and it was confusing having the alarm ring when it was still dark this morning. I automatically reached for my bags to head to the airport, but there were none. It was disillusioning. I was not going to Paris or Portland or (best case) Hawaii. I had to stumble downstairs and find my way to the driveway to search for newspapers. I did a little prayer of gratitude that the paper deliverers had gotten their acts together and thrown the weapons of mass destruction at the foot of the steps. A dark morning and no paper; that would have been dismal indeed. At least the dogs were thrilled yesterday when they believed we'd fed them an hour early. I've given up trying to explain to them the intricacies of saving time. I don't even understand it myself.
But as I've gotten older, this time thing has become harder to adjust to, and by the time I sleep again until the alarm goes off and can get to bed early enough for eight hours sleep, the time has switched again and I'm back to square one. What is weird is on trips now I seem to handle the time being ten or eight hours different with no ill effects. It's like being Alice through the rabbit hole - it's an alternate reality so I just go with the flow. Sometimes I can't sleep, but still manage to have a good time. I once went several weeks in India without actually sleeping. I just lay there and had very rapid thoughts. I believe the drug they give for malaria had a lot to do with this, but I seemed to do fine without rest. I carried my bag down dusty roads when the train broke down, I observed calmly our rickshaw coming within inches of smashing us into soup (this experience of course happened many times), I trudged uphill to shrines and fought off monkeys trying to grab my backpack at the same time.
But at home this teeny tiny hour change disrupts me for many weeks. However, I do not wish to complain, because it signals longer, lighter days, and like everyone else I love the light. I adore being able to take a walk after dinner. My husband was saying this morning how nice it will be to go to chorus rehearsal after work and it will still be light. He will actually be able to see where he's parking and avoid driveways and fire stations. At our age we need every drop of light to navigate our world, and we're about to get a dollop more of it.
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