Fall Back, Sleep Lack
Oh, for the years in our 20's when gaining an hour with daylight savings time was bliss and we used that time to squeeze in an extra hour of something interesting and adventurous. There was nothing better than knowing that it was time to "fall back", those extra minutes a little blessing we looked forward to every year.
I remember the first daylight savings time after we had our daughter. I still was under the mistaken impression that it would be a wonderful time of blessed extra sleep. Little did I know how that one time blessing had turned into a curse. Instead of gaining a hour, once you have kids, you actually seem to loose even more time. "How can this be possible?" You think as you open your eyes at 6am instead of the 7:30 or 8 o'clock you were expecting. You even thought ahead! You kept that little one up for an extra hour the night before so they definitely did not get the same number of hours they are used to and you spent and extra hour the night before entertaining the little munchkins instead of doing the post bed time wrap up to your day. Then the morning rolls around and their little eyes pop open at exactly the same time they have for weeks, only now that is 6am rather than 7. Not only this but they have not not gotten as much sleep as they are used to so for an extra reward they will now be grouchy, irritable and emotional for as long as it takes for them to be adjusted to this new twist.
The ironic part is that now that kids have entered the picture the "spring ahead" portion of time changes is actually the more enjoyable of the two. I find myself curious about what will happen once the kids are grown or at least old enough to not be affected so greatly by these shifts in time. I wonder if I will then go back to my former excitement at the thought of all the extra things I can do with my hour long blessing. At that point will it be exciting prospects like, an extra long denture soak, more time in the nursing home activity center, or a little extra quality time with my jigsaw puzzle?
I hope that before to long I will be able to once again enjoy this yearly blessing I once loved. However I hope it doesn't come at the expense of my new found appreciation for it's antithesis the spring loss. I feel that before he was just misunderstood. He wasn't actually as bad as everyone made him out to be. The kids never seemed to realize when he came around and continued to sleep in blissful ignorance for the same amount of time as always. This actually is where my lost fall hour disappeared to. I'll look forward to spring where I can enjoy a quiet kid free hour, without the added week of grouchy, grumbling and fights. I'm sure poor fall is thinking, "Didn't spring already have to much going for it? Why can I never catch a break?" Sorry Fall, I don't think you're that bad a guy, I just don't like your buddy Winter. He sucks! You should ditch him and find some better company.
I remember the first daylight savings time after we had our daughter. I still was under the mistaken impression that it would be a wonderful time of blessed extra sleep. Little did I know how that one time blessing had turned into a curse. Instead of gaining a hour, once you have kids, you actually seem to loose even more time. "How can this be possible?" You think as you open your eyes at 6am instead of the 7:30 or 8 o'clock you were expecting. You even thought ahead! You kept that little one up for an extra hour the night before so they definitely did not get the same number of hours they are used to and you spent and extra hour the night before entertaining the little munchkins instead of doing the post bed time wrap up to your day. Then the morning rolls around and their little eyes pop open at exactly the same time they have for weeks, only now that is 6am rather than 7. Not only this but they have not not gotten as much sleep as they are used to so for an extra reward they will now be grouchy, irritable and emotional for as long as it takes for them to be adjusted to this new twist.
The ironic part is that now that kids have entered the picture the "spring ahead" portion of time changes is actually the more enjoyable of the two. I find myself curious about what will happen once the kids are grown or at least old enough to not be affected so greatly by these shifts in time. I wonder if I will then go back to my former excitement at the thought of all the extra things I can do with my hour long blessing. At that point will it be exciting prospects like, an extra long denture soak, more time in the nursing home activity center, or a little extra quality time with my jigsaw puzzle?
I hope that before to long I will be able to once again enjoy this yearly blessing I once loved. However I hope it doesn't come at the expense of my new found appreciation for it's antithesis the spring loss. I feel that before he was just misunderstood. He wasn't actually as bad as everyone made him out to be. The kids never seemed to realize when he came around and continued to sleep in blissful ignorance for the same amount of time as always. This actually is where my lost fall hour disappeared to. I'll look forward to spring where I can enjoy a quiet kid free hour, without the added week of grouchy, grumbling and fights. I'm sure poor fall is thinking, "Didn't spring already have to much going for it? Why can I never catch a break?" Sorry Fall, I don't think you're that bad a guy, I just don't like your buddy Winter. He sucks! You should ditch him and find some better company.
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