A reminder to everyone, we will need to change our clocks back and gain an extra hour, this coming Sunday morning, (technically at 2am), November 6th! Although most people say it is the “end of daylight savings time”, I choose to look at it as the beginning of “Regular Time”!
As we head into the cooler months of autumn and the winter ahead, this additional morning hour allows us to awaken to bright, morning sunshine sooner than before. If you are a morning person like me, seeing the sun at 6:00am is the impetus to start my day. It allows me to peak through the blinds and catch a glimpse of a tentative doe and her yearlings grazing on the acorns or the wild turkeys shuffling through my compost pile for breakfast! They don’t realize the clocks have changed and now have an audience! With the backyard facing east I am eager each morning to see if today’s sunrise is just as colorful and pleasing as yesterdays. It is a small, momentary and one-of-a-kind blessing that seems to be created just for me! I’ve given up capturing the moment with a camera, in lieu of just being satiated by watching this amazing display of color with perhaps a warm cup of coffee.
If you really think about it, changing the clock makes very little difference during the day. It is still sunlit while we are most alert and focused, be it at work, school or, play! It is not until around 5:00pm when the brightness fades and we are lured inside for the warmth of our homes. Certainly, the camp ponies and horses seem undisturbed and unaffected by this change in daylight hours; for them it’s always regular time!
Earlier evenings bring families together sooner and offer time to reacquaint each other with “inside” interests. It’s an opportunity to reminisce perhaps about summer camp and what activities they will be participating in for the coming summer! Perhaps it is this “Regular Time” that really is healing: physically, emotionally, psychologically, spiritually . . . . by allowing us to slow down – regroup – and relax after hectic spring, summer and fall activities. “Regular Time” allows you to exhale really slowly. After all, there’s always Daylight Savings time to look forward to on March 12, 2017, which means the opening of camp won’t be far behind!