Hooray! It’s that time of year again. Time to wish you and yours a Happy Daylight Savings Day. Here’s to our annual tradition of falling back one hour, and thus catapulting us into the beginning of the holiday season. (At least it used to be the start, when it fell before Halloween.) So let the spending begin!
This cavalier channels Fred Astaire when he walks across the parquet floors. (photo by J. Aquino)
To be precise, today is the end of Daylight Savings Day. Which gives me pause. Another year already? Where did the time go?
And, by the way, have you thought about what you’re going to do with that extra hour, now that it’s been given back to you?
Frankly, we don’t respect this important occasion enough. If you ask me, the end of Daylight Savings should be considered a national holiday. Why? Because it’s not everyday you’re handed an additional hour on a silver platter. Not good enough a reason? Then do it for the farmers, the folks whom we started daylight savings for in the first place. Don’t ask me why, but it’s something to do with the harvest or, so they can wake up in time to milk the cows.
Still not good enough a reason? Then do it for me. Because, when all is said and done, I could sure do a lot with an extra hour.
Yet, why stop at falling back only one hour? Once—just once—would it be too much to ask if we could fall back an entire day instead? I mean, think about what all of us could do if we got an extra day! Because I’m nice, I thought I’d share with you a few suggestions:
- Get an extra 15 minutes sleep before your Cavalier King Charles Spaniel (I’m not mentioning any names) awakens you.
- Finish reading Chapter Three of that book you’ve been reading for two months now.
- Bake chocolate chip cookies and use up the bag of semi-sweet chips you bought three years ago (swearing you’d bake more but never actually did).
- Replace the fluorescent light in the kitchen that went out last summer, so that you can see what you’re doing when baking the cookies.
- Put away all your Fourth of July decorations and start getting out the ones for Halloween. (Sure, Halloween is over but you need to get your money’s worth with these decorations. I’m just saying.)
- Submit the last of your tax forms for 2010—no more excuses!
- Remember what the repairman said back in August, about needing a new furnace, and call to have it replaced before the cold weather hits. (Oh, wait, the first cold weather snap was yesterday. Yikes.)
- Clip the dog’s nails so he doesn’t sound like Fred Astaire, tap dancing away every time he walks across the parquet.
- Hem your black work slacks so they don’t look like a wedding gown train when you walk through the office, and so you don’t keep tripping over them when taking the stairs.
- Use this day to start regularly attending Zumba class, so that the instructor doesn’t ask you each time you do show up, “Oh, first time?”
- Organize the bedroom closet so that you don’t pull a Dagwood and a Blondie, by having everything tumble out of it each time you go to open the closet door.
- Get rid of the rat traps that you set around the garage in September, as it’s probably safe now, given that, the rat has finally hightailed it out of dodge.
- Catch up on your magazine reading, including all the issues of Vanity Fair—from 2009 and 2010, and ask yourself, why do you keep renewing your subscription?
- Make an appointment for your annual physical, which is now two years overdue.
- Watch some of the 40 hours of programming taking up space on your DVR. If you ask me, it’s time to watch or just delete the news you recorded in July.
- Take this opportunity to stop being a slacker mom and send your daughter a care package. After all, she’s been away at college for two months now and you’ve sent her nothing. Zippo.
Of course, this is just the tip of the iceberg. There is so much more we can all do with an extra day. So how about it? Are you willing to sign my petition to fall back an extra day and to make it a national holiday? If so, what would you do with the additional 24 hours? Don’t think too long about it. After all, the clock is ticking and as my pal, Jack, would say: Time is money!
Monica's Tangled Web 
I think you could do an entire column about magazine subscriptions!
Oh, no, Karen! Don’t tell me you’re like me and have subscriptions to magazines you never read. And I fall for it every year. Renewing. I say to myself, this year I’ll make time to read and then, I never do. Oh, well. Guess I’ll keep trying.
Woman, I like how you think! I will sign your petition however, I’m pretty sure that the extra day will be wasted since I will use a good majority of it pacing around wringing my hands worrying about how to make the best use of the extra day. Now you see my dilemma.
I’m a brand new member of She Writes and found you there. Great blog.
Welcome, She Writes newbie! I’m thrilled you found me and my blog. I’m even more thrilled that you’re willing to sign my petition, but I totally understand your hand-wringing dilemma. I myself, facing too many options, have the tendency to cave and do nothing. Oh, well, we’ll just keep trying and hoping we’ll make good use of that extra day, should it ever come! 🙂 I look forward to checking out your blog, too!
This is too funny. I suppose I used my hour lambasting the practice of daylight savings time. Oops!
Daylight Savings is here to stay, so we might as well make it work for us, don’t you think? Let’s hear it for an extra day! 😉
—Monica,
I like the way you think…
■Clip the dog’s nails so he doesn’t sound like Fred Astaire, tap dancing away every time he walks across the parquet.
I love that one!!! I can hear it!
Thank you, Kim! For better, for worse, I can hear it, too. I need to teach him how to keep a rhythm as he strides across. That would be so much better, if you ask me.
I’m with Bella — I’d LOVE having an extra week. Maybe then I could catch up on everything that needs to be done (especially those doggie toenails — it’s a wonder my poor Sheltie can even walk, not to mention how raggedy he looks all of a sudden!). An extra week would give me time to clear off my desk, finish reading old Writer’s Digest magazines, get farther along on my son’s memory book; hey, and maybe even zap those old photos from my camera and cell phone! Good idea — where do I sign up?
I’m glad you’re on board with my new-fangled idea. It’s a win-win for all of us and it sounds to me, that you could use it, too, as you have quite a few items on your to-do list. 😉
An extra 24-hours? Wow. Good one. I think I would bake a cake … A Martha Stewart. Cake !
Hope you post a photo of your Martha Stewart cake. Should be lovely!
If you ask me, why stop at a day? Hell, lets set it back a week, and then we’re talking! Monica, I have laughed my ass off with this post! And so has the Significant Other. Oh my goodness, that line about clipping Henry’s nails got us belly laughing because we have the same thing with Roxy! By the way, Henry looks adorable in this shot! Roxy likes that he’s so flexible and even looks like he’s doing the splits! You know what they say about flexible men! hee hee! The other line that made me laugh was the magazine subscription. And here I thought I was the only one hanging on to old copies of Glamour! Oh my Jesus! Great post, amiga. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it! 🙂
Bella, I thought of that, too, but didn’t want to appear too greedy. But you’re right, why stop at one day. I would take that extra week but only if I could use it as vacation days, no work. Then I could catch up on everything, plus blog, plus read my blog subscriptions. That would be so awesome. I LOVE that you shared my blog with your S.O. I feel so honored!
You should see how Henry lays with his legs stretched out as if they’re frog legs. He skips, slides across the floor and his legs land on either side of him. It’s pretty cute! I used to subscribe to about 20 magazines, including Glamour, and finally narrowed it down to 5 and yet I still don’t have time to read them all!
Love your post Monica. I look forward to getting the “extra hour” because most of the time I don’t get enough sleep. If I had an extra 24 could tackle some of those items you listed also, but could also make a lot of jewelry. There never seems to be enough time in the day anymore between work, pt, gym to follow that passion. Although, I am working on it. Last night before I went to bed, I sorted through a bead bag and reorganized it. Using up most that extra hour. lol. Thanks for making me laugh. Rose
Yes, I agree. Having that extra day would be perfect time to indulge in my hobby of scrapbooking. I haven’t done it in a LONG time, not since I started blogging. I’d probably also want to use the time to read up on other blogs, get all caught up. And, of course, there never seems to be enough time to work on my own. Sigh. There goes the day already. Just too much to do, if you ask me.
You’re way too industrious, Monica. Know what I’d do with an extra day? Mind you, I’m up by 5:30 am every morning, but I’d spend the extra day in my pyjamas. I’d lay around reading, with a bag of pretzels in reach, a cup of coffee – maybe with Kahlua in it – check my email, maybe do a Sudoku, watch an old movie, eat some ice cream and, basically just hang out. Granted, I’m retired and menopausal, but that doesn’t really account for it. It’s my nature to be lazy and somewhat self-indulgent (ok, a lot self-indulgent) I’m a relic of the 60’s – that’s my excuse. But, yeah, I’d take the extra day. I guess everybody’s got to use it their own way.
I love it your way, and frankly, the only way I could probably do that is if I’m doing it away from home. Like when I’m visiting family during the holidays and my to-list is back at home, along with all the errands I need to run. Then, I have no choice and I love the feeling of relaxing and watching old movies all day long. Now, that’s sweet.
Fun post, Monica! All good reminders that there are things to do, besides grab that extra hour of sleep. Okay, I’ll quit slacking and send a care package to my daughter and then I’ll tackle the other 15!
Oh, no. Slacking is what the extra day should be for. For me, it would definitely be a do-nothing day. But then again, I get a real sense of accomplishment from that. Nothingness is not as easy to achieve as you might think.
Nothingness requires a lot of work. I find it hard to stay on track when I’m doing nothing. My instinct tells me to get to work, so to do nothing, I find I must stay focus on concentrate on my mantra, “I will do nothing, I will do nothing, I will do nothing…”
Good for you, Annie. Glad my tongue-firmly-in-cheek post could inspire you to get with the program and take care of your own to-do list. All I can say is, You’re Welcome! 😉
Great idea! I used to love the extra hour until I had a child who doesn’t get the blessing of an extra hour. Her body woke up at the same time — didn’t matter what the clock said!
Leah, you must find a way to convince her it’s for her own good to sleep away that extra hour. It’s so worth it! Of course, I have the same dilemma with my dog, Henry. Sigh.
Hey, Happy Birthday! Thanks for stopping by on today of all days. Hope it’s a great one, rain and all! 🙂
WOW! It is mind-boggling that it is already time to start the spending. Where’s the moola?
That’s the number one question at the top of everyone’s list. Where indeed is the moola. I suppose until we discover this hidden stash, we’ll have to use old faithful: credit cards. 😉
I think I’m the only one who doesn’t really care about losing or gaining an hour! I never sleep anyway. Like this morning, I still woke up when it was pitch black outside. Ok, I know it’s not just about sleep, it’s about what we could do with an extra house. What I’m doing now is sitting here with my cup of coffee, reading my favorite blogs, while everyone else is asleep. 🙂
I did enjoy this post. Now I know I’m not the only one with that nagging list of chores and phone calls and appointments to make, hanging over my head!
OOps. that was supposed to “extra hour” not “extra house!” LOL! Yes, I could use an extra house!! 🙂
A Freudian slip, maybe?
I think we’d all welcome an extra house–one preferably in a locale like Hawaii or the Florida Keys. 😉
It would be like having a three-day weekend. Don’t you love those? It would be like repeating the same day, a la Groundhog’s Day or something. Anyway, even if you don’t care, then support the idea for the rest of us. Those of us (again, not naming any names) with a very long to-do list that keeps getting longer. I am telling you, I NEED that extra day! 😉
Sign me up on the extra day petition. I woke up this morning thinking it was so luxurious to lounge in bed for an extra hour on a cool, rainy morning, so that’s precisely what I did. I rarely sleep in so I really treasure this one day a year when I have guilt-free permission to do so. Imagine my shock when I strolled downstairs to read the newspaper, and the microwave clock said it was only 6am! I have an entire day ahead of me to play basketball, read the New York Times book review, watch football with my husband, finish a good book that I’ve been reading, all the while knowing that I could accomplish all this AFTER having slept in. Oh yes, sign me up for that extra day!
Yes! Score! Finally, someone willing to sign my petition. All we need are another 50,000 and maybe we’ll have enough to put it on next year’s ballot. That extra day will be here before you know it!
I love falling back. I feel like I’m sleeping in for a couple of weeks, at least. If I had an extra day… I’d get way ahead on my NaNoWriMo word count! 🙂
I prefer falling back so much more than springing forward. And somehow I find that the extra hour does last all day long. I keep looking at the clock and thinking it should be an hour later than it actually is. Now that’s fun. Too bad the feeling can’t last all year long. In any case, I hope the extra hour helped you do some serious NaNoWriMo writing!
I can think if a million things to do with that extra day or just the extra 15 minutes. Real Simple magazine did a chart showing how long it took to perform regular daily chores. When I realized how quickly I could perform them I started getting more done. With an extra 24 I think I would just relax and recharge. Like winning the “time” lottery. Fun to think about!!!
I would love to relax and recharge but, unfortunately, I know myself too well, and would never succumb to such relaxation. Not when I have a list of stuff to do that I keep putting off. Yikes.
I love the idea of falling back an entire day! How about falling back into bed? Falling back into a field of dreams? Speaking of which, a quick check of the clock tells me the real time is 5:43AM PST. Zzzzzz . . .
Yes, and why did you get up so early today. Didn’t you warn your system of the change. Or is it a case of daylight savings jet lag? Hmm….
One more day? I’d definitely hire that organizer to start bringing some order to the chaos that is my home filing system (what system, you may rightly ask?).
And if you have one more hour in your week this week, Monica, definitely use it to pick up the phone and make every overdue doctor appointment you need to make. Nothing’s more valuable than your health.
Yes, I will. I have to stop using every excuse in the book to avoid it. Here’s my chance to do the right thing and schedule that appointment. Thanks!