Good things about not being on Daylight Savings Time

Okay, I realize that those of you who know me are absolutely floored at the title of this post. It is difficult to imagine that I could come up with one good thing about not being on DST, let alone multiple! Strangely enough, and believe it or not, I thought of three today:

1. Evenings seem longer.
When you work from home, as I do, it is very easy to work too late. I often just keep working long after I should have stopped. Now, when it gets dark just before 5:00 PM, by 5:30 it has started feeling "late", so I log off and quit working at a more reasonable time. This then makes the evening hours (time for eating dinner, talking with John, hanging out with friends, or watching TV) seem to last longer. (Of course they are not longer, I'm just starting the non-work activities sooner. But perception is powerful!)

2. I often get to see moonlight and stars reflected in water.
Frequently this time of year, my daily ritual of touching salt water happens after dark (before that, I'm stuck at home working, remember!) On nights with very little wind, when the water is flat (Ocracokers call that a "slick cam"), the reflection of the moon and stars in the water makes a lovely, peaceful picture.

3. I hear the church bells more often.
At 6:00 PM each evening, after chiming the hour, the bells at Ocracoke United Methodist Church play 2 or 3 hymns. I enjoy listening to them, but usually miss it. Since I am now quitting work around 5:30, and often heading out to touch salt water shortly after that, I find myself outside at 6:00 and therefore I get to hear the bells. Tonight I sat down on the steps into our home, looked at the stars, and listened to two songs (the first one was Handel's Messiah; I didn't recognize the second). It was a sweet, quiet way to end the day.

So there you have it: even I can come up with a positive way to look at early darkness. Not that I'm advocating ending the use of DST completely, though! I love long lazy summer days, too.

Remember, only when it is dark enough can you see the stars.