Daylight saving time ends on Sunday, November 2, and since that extra hour is officially added during the wee hours, most of us will simply sleep through it and barely notice the change. Things were different last spring when we awoke groggy for the next three or four mornings, having trouble adjusting to the loss of those precious minutes. My mother often reminded me that lost sleep was truly lost and couldn’t be replaced later. Always a deep sleeper and slow to wake, I have seldom had to deal with a lack of sleep, but I am aware of a certain sense of luxury when that extra hour is added every fall. It seems to me that it should be celebrated in some way – not a festival or ceremony but, maybe by inserting some meaningful activity in that rare 25-hour day.
Just what to do with that extra hour is a personal matter and depends on your judgment as to what is possible and worthy of the occasion. I have a few suggestions of things you might consider, or things that might lead to ideas of your own. Some are self-indulgent, some are altruistic, others adventuresome or even frivolous, but the choice is definitely up to you.
My first ideas involve things I enjoy doing but never seem to have enough time for; Write a silly limerick or a haiku poem; create a new cartoon character, illustrate a children’s poem or design a greeting card. Browse through my album of old family photos. Write down an interesting family story for the grandchildren. Phone an old friend or favorite cousin you’ve neglected of late, return that borrowed book you’ve had for months.
If you haven’t already dug out your winter wardrobe and sent some things off to the dry-cleaner, now is a good time. And while you’re putting those summer clothes away for the duration, it might be a good time to bundle up those things you haven’t worn this past summer and donate them.
Big undertakings are going to take up more time than that extra hour, so don’t attempt major projects, instead you could make a list of those major undertakings and prioritize them for later when you will have bigger hunks of time to devote to them. Small projects that take only an hour could include such things as sorting out the junk drawer in the kitchen (we all have one) clearing out the medicine cabinet in the bathroom or the spice drawer in the kitchen.
Maybe you’d rather have a tidy car than an organized spice drawer – while you’re at it, why not put together an emergency kit to keep in the car for bad weather days? You can get lots of helpful information from the emergency management office of the Red Cross or from a variety of web sites. Remember, it’s far better to have emergency supplies available and never need them than it is to find yourself stranded without them.
On a lighter note, spend your bonus hour having an adventure. You could take a walk through a new park or recreation area, explore a new shopping mall or public building, visit a new boutique, grocery store, seek out a new picnic spot or place to walk the dog. Indulge in some thoughtful browsing and wander around the art center, science museum, antiques shop, vintage car exhibit or whatever else has always been there but you just never got around to checking it out. Volunteer! At school, church, senior center, hospital, retirement home.
Meet some new people; check with the Chamber of Commerce for organizations. I recommend the University Club of Iowa City, founded many years ago by University faculty wives, it is still for women only (sorry, guys.) You are welcome even if you don’t live in Iowa City or have no connection to the University. Annual dues are nominal and an impressive array of activity groups are ready to welcome new members. There are groups for those interested in everything from Texas-Hold ‘Em Poker to day trips to interesting places, from playing golf to writing poetry, from gourmet cooking to just meeting for coffee and conversation, and lots more. You can check it out in less than an hour.