Poem by Robert Louis Stevenson (1885)
In winter I get up at night, And dress by yellow candle light. In summer, quite the other way, I have to go to bed by day. I have to go to bed and see The birds still hopping on the tree, Or hear the grown-up people's feet Still going past me in the street. And does it not seem hard to you, When all the sky is clear and blue, And I should like so much to play, To have to go to bed by day?
This is my least favorite morning of the year. Time change. Why? Oh, Why? Oh, Why? Things are going along nicely. The sun is shining a little longer every day. The birds are returning to Winterpast. The trees are budding. Spring is less than a week away. And, BAM. Right in the face. Time change brings an hour of lost sleep.
The first day isn’t always the worst. Retired, I had time to set the clocks Saturday night. Ace set the more complicated ones by looking up instructions on You Tube. Why didn’t I think of that??? Lots going on yesterday while I preparedfor Bible Study and Church and Ace drove west through a high Sierra snow storm to attend to his life in California. The time change wasn’t even noticeable.
It’s always the first week of time adjustment that gets me. Sleeping soundly, my 4:30 AM alarm went off with its annoying little beeps. My brain was shouting, “No, No, No. It’s still 3:30.” Even Ollie gave me a dirty look and burrowed deeper into his blankets. Morning involves his breakfast, so that says a lot.
Of course, there is the promise of summer evening barbeques in the back yard. The evening breezes as the sun sets and the stars come out. Evenings on the desert are grand. In the big scheme of things, adjusting an hour either way is not a nuclear crisis. Just something small to complain about in a blessed life. God is great, all the time. All the time, God is great.
Whatever you do today, enjoy the last few days of winter. Spring comes on Sunday. Easter is just around the corner. It’s a beautiful time of year for renewal and new beginnings. Have a wonderful day.
More tomorrow.