Posted on November 1, 2018.
By Thomas Sellers Jr.
Sellers will be having sweet dreams about that extra hour of sleep coming up this weekend when Day Light Saving comes to end.
This weekend Daylight Saving comes to an end.
So remember to have those clocks fall back an hour before you go to bed Saturday night. While you e at it, check those smoke detectors.
Back to my purpose of writing this column, I want to rank my top 10 reasons why I love Daylight Saving Time. To be fair I have to break this countdown into halves. I will present two top fives with the first batch focusing on Daylight Saving. Then I will conclude with my five favorite reasons DST comes to a conclusion.
Before I dive into my reasons, the history of Daylight Saving is so confusing. History points the finger at many different men and countries for the origin of Daylight Saving. While Germany and Austria were the first to use DST in 1916, some reports say our neighbors up north in Canada first used it on July 1, 1908.
Daylight Saving Time was invented by New Zealand scientist George Vernon Hudson and British builder William Willett. Some sources credit Benjamin Franklin with being the first to suggest seasonal time change — back in 1784.
No matter who thought of it, Daylight Saving Time is now used in more than 70 countries worldwide and affects more than a billion people every year. The beginning and end dates vary from one country to another.
In 2018, Daylight Saving Time began March 11 at 2 a.m.
My top 5
reasons I love DST
5. Eat healthier
When the days are longer, you seem to eat better. Your body craves fresh fruits and vegetables. No longer do you long for cakes, cookies, warm lattés or alcoholic beverages to fill your insides. In the winter, we gravitate toward large, home-cooked meals. The stove serves as a cooking tool and way to heat the home.
But when DST appears, we start to desire lighter meals. We need to eat food to give us a boost to attack the longer days. Instead of mashed potatoes, we request a fruit salad. Now we’ll pass on the bowl of comforting ice cream for a Blender Bottle full of energy-packed juice.
4. Happiness
The sun and happiness go together like Donnie and Marie. Although the Brady Kids put out the jam “Sunshine Day,” I needed a famous duet from that era to make my statement flow.
Back to the importance of the sun and its affects on our happiness. It’s scientific. This is the most natural way to get Vitamin D and large amounts of vitamin D3. Being out in the sun is proven to make you healthier physically and emotionally better. When people are feeling better inside, they tend to have healthier attitudes toward diet and exercise. Vitamin D promotes healthy cell and bone growth. Then when you have bad knees like me, you need a reduction in inflammation. Vitamin D helps to stimulate immune function. Other reasons to be happier from the sun’s sweet rays include lower blood pressure, stronger bones and teeth, lower risk of breast and colon cancer, and help in curing skin conditions including psoriasis and eczema. But use the sun responsibly. Friends don’t let friends drive burnt.
3. Longer days
It’s nice to leave the office and still have a couple of hours of sunlight to enjoy. You can make plans all the way up until 8:30 p.m. The extra sunlight provides more chances for parties, festivals, cookouts and simply seeing the road. Longer days bring more flowers blooming. A man or woman can golf past dinner time. If you can’t afford that sport, basketball games run until almost 9 p.m.
Whatever the reason is, we all can find something to enjoy with an extra couple of hours of sunlight.
2. Traffic flows
As a man with poor eyesight, I truly appreciate leaving a sporting event and having some daylight to navigate the roads. If it is raining about 7 p.m. in July, I can still make out the line in the street.
It is easier to drive in daylight. The overall effect of Daylight Saving Time on traffic accidents is positive. Studies show if we extend Daylight Saving Time we can save up to 400 more lives in a year.
1. Outdoor exercise
Whether it is Ed Rice, Shelby Farms, Aycock Park, Freeman Park or down by the riverfront, I love to head outside for a run. Once Daylight Saving Time comes back around, I can go for a run after work. But as the weather heats up, the sun begins to come out about 5:30 a.m.
Having the option of running about 7:45 p.m. is beautiful. The sun is not just for runners. You can hit the steps, do yoga, hit a Zumba session or even ride a bike.
So when you safely arrive to your destination in a happier mood about 7:30 p.m., it will be time to burn off that kale salad with a power walk in the park.
Now Daylight Saving Time is comes to an end this Sunday at 2 a.m. I have five things I’m looking forward to this Saturday night and the next few months.
My 5 favorite reasons DST ends
5. Holiday season
When the days get shorter, the holiday season is just around the corner. It is almost time for Thanksgiving, Christmas and Super Sunday. From the fourth Thursday in November to the first Sunday in February, you forget about minimum daylight because of the glow from these events.
So get those decoration down from the attic so you can brighten up your day along with others. Create happiness by giving to others and remembering the reason for the season.
4. Home-cooked meals
My Mom Alma Sellers seems to cook more once the days get shorter. Amen!
Then you can add my Aunt V, Verner Jones, to that list. My mother-in-law Rita Montgomery is no stranger to the oven and stove.
And there are countless other masters of the kitchen in my life who find a reason to cook on the stove. In a couple of weeks I’ll break down my top 10 favorite foods, going into detail about my Mom, Aunt V, Momma Rita and others.
3. Family time
Speaking of those lovely ladies, I look forward to making a trip to their homes just to spend time talking. When you don’t want to go out in the cold and it’s dark outside, make the best of it by getting to know your loved ones. Daylight Saving Time coming to an end kind of forces the issue of coming inside for warmness. In addition to a hot meal, time reminiscing does something special for the heart.
That bonding time extends from your family to colleagues, friends and like-minded people. At jobs we have holiday parties to attend and reflect on the year that was. Invite friends over for a game night or Super Bowl party. Take full advantage of that quality time if you attend a gym, school or extra-curricular activity.
With these phones and other advancements in technology, the disconnect among us is real. We don’t need Snapchat to see each other. We can go beyond Instagram to share pictures. And if you need an update on how somebody is doing, don’t log into Facebook. Let’s go see each other and spend quality time.
2. Binge watching
In recent years the phrase “binge watching” has entered our lexicon. Thanks to Netflix and other streaming services, people will watch an entire season of a show in a weekend. I haven’t been that devoted to a television show since “Scrubs.”
So my form of binge watching is sports like the NBA, NFL, College Football and a little NHL. I also look forward to watching holiday movie marathons. And the I.D. Network is a good 12-hour watch at anytime.
Television is pumping out new episodes throughout the fall and winter. So once that daylight is gone, pop your TV, phone or tablet on. I’m sure the retail stores are going to miss us until Black Friday, the Christmas season and Valentine’s Day. Wait, while we’re watching our favorite shows, we will see the commercials.
1. Extra hour of sleep
The subhead says it all. As much as I hate losing that hour of sleep in the spring, I love how this weekend I will get that sweet, precious hour back. I will enjoy the extra rest and allow it to comfort my heart and soul.
As a child, I was all about the extra daylight to have fun. But now as a 37-year-old man, I need that sleep. Sleep rules the day. If I had to lose an hour of daylight for seven straight months in order to get extra sleep, consider this my invitation to Alaska.
THOMAS SELLERS JR. is the editor of The Millington Star and both the sports editor and a weekly personal columnist for Journal West 10 Media LLC. Contact him by phone at (901) 433-9138, by fax to (901) 529-7687 and by email to [email protected].
