The Changing Season

Spring seems to be coming. It’s not the warmer weather I’m feeling, but the longer days that make it real to me. Living in the northern part of the U.S. means it’s more noticeable here than in the more southern states. The sun sets much later than it did only two months ago. The long dark nights of winter will soon be behind us. Last week, I wrote about the cycle of life. The yearly cycle is amazing to observe as well. The place the sun rises on the horizon moves throughout the year, marking the northernmost point at winter’s solstice and the southernmost at the summer’s solstice.

The ancient people built cities and temples that aligned with those points, plus the fall and spring equinoxes. The sun threw shadows across petroglyphics marking its path during the year and told them when to plant and when to harvest. The spirals carved into rock in the Southwest U.S. measure the sun’s movements across the sky. They also observed the moon and the stars. The Chimney Rock ruins in Colorado were built to align with the moon’s phases. Consult a book on astronomical archeology to find out more.

The night skies are amazing when there’s not much light pollution. Few people stand out in the winter to see them or stay up late enough in the summer to watch the constellations appear. Try it sometime and see how small you feel.

Next weekend is the start of daylight savings time. I’m not a fan of the time change. Longer days naturally occur during the summers and shorter days in the winter. That is not influenced by changing the clocks. All that changes during daylight savings time is what time we get up, solar-wise.

Time changes make me cranky. It throws things out of whack and the older I get, the more cranky I get about it. More people have heart attacks and physical ailments after time change so I know I’m not alone in finding them upsetting. The initial purpose was to save energy, but is that still true? Why not change work times and leave the clocks alone?

I propose they change time by half an hour and leave it be. That’s an average and wouldn’t bother anyone very much. I agree with the man who said changing time is like cutting off one end of the blanket and sewing it to other other end. What’s the point? Days get longer anyway.

As a suggestion for this week, try getting up a little earlier every day. Then next Sunday, you’ll be used to springing forward and will be ready for it. Use the moon’s example and “phase” into it. Maybe it won’t be as upsetting as doing it all at once.

Or maybe we should all move to Arizona where time doesn’t change. Doesn’t seem to bother them at all, other than no one in the rest of the country can figure out what time it is there. Wherever you are, be prepared for one less hour of sleep. I’m glad I’m retired.

And God said let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years; And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth; and it was so. And God made the two great lights, the greater light to govern the day, and the lesser light to govern the night; He made the stars also. And God placed them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, and to govern the day and the night, and to separate the light from the darkness; and God saw that it was good. Genesis 1: 14-18