# 251 – Daylight Slaving Time

Daylight Slaving Time (03-09-09)

Well I hope all of you are recovering from that loss of a single hour of sleep over the weekend. That loss, like some universal jet lag, is the scapegoat for any number of issues in our lives from missing church on Sunday to missing a workout the following Wednesday. We have, of course, just entered into that controversial time of year governed by Daylight Saving Time. (Note that there is no “s” after the word “saving.”) I say controversial, because you will probably find as many people in favor of it as you will those who would just prefer that we stop giving Father Time an annual goose.

While the idea has been attributed to, or one might say blamed on, any number of people, including good old Ben Franklin, the annual adjustment, much like the work of some temporal chiropractor, was the doing of one William Willet an English builder and sportsman. Bill, you see, took a morning ride on his horse each day and was simply appalled at the number of his fellow countrymen who were still sleeping away the daylight hours. He was also an avid golfer and got very much put out when he had to put away the clubs at dusk. He came up with the idea and lobbied for it until his death in 1915. It was not implemented during his lifetime, but the idea struck a chord with the Germans in 1916 and the music made its way to the United States by 1918 when it was adopted. Adopted is a good word, because it was much like a wayward stepchild, loved by some and summarily ignored by others.

Of course, in 1918, the process involved nothing more than moving the hands of the mantel clock in the living room ahead one hour and perhaps grandpa adjusting his pocket watch. Today, the greater part of a day can be spent adjusting everything from clocks, to microwave ovens, video recorders, telephone message machines, GPS units, the stove, the refrigerator, the coffee maker, and that new digital toilet you just had to have for the bathroom.

Initially used as a way to cut power usage for a newly electrified nation, its purpose has changed much over the years and has come full circle to return to Willet’s original idea of providing some extra daylight for afternoon and evening activities. In our modern world, often those activities have little to do with the outdoors, in the sense that Willet had in mind. If you own a home, for instance, that extra hour is just something that can be used to clear another item off the “honey do” list. As spring approaches there are weeds to be pulled, mulch to be spread, windows to be washed, screens to be installed, shutters to be painted, and decks to be scrubbed. In short, it’s Daylight Slaving Time.

Now, even with all the work ahead of me, I actually look forward to the extra daylight and generally take on and get into the “get ‘er done” mode of operation and I am sure a lot of you do too. What I would like to suggest, however, is that we all put a little hold on Daylight Slaving Time once in awhile, by taking the opportunity, if only once or twice a week, to use that extra daylight to do something that good old Mr. Willet had in mind for us. After all, there are trails to be hiked, roads to be biked, tracks to be run, hills to be climbed, games to be played and bodies to be challenged.
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Copyright 2004-2009 John R. Gesselberty. Mahler's Monday Morning Motivators (MMMM) may not be copied or used without permission of the author. All rights reserved.