Welcome back, Daylight Savings Time! We have missed you! An extra hour after work to do something outside—it’s the best gift ever!
Prep the garden. Clean up the yard. Take your dog for a nice, long walk. Go for a hike, a run, a bike ride. Walk on the beach. Watch the birds as they build nests and prepare for their coming brood. Plant a tree. You no longer have to wait for your next day off. Now you have time today!
I know, I know. This gift might not really be a true gift because it comes with a price. Losing an hour of sleep. It stinks. But maybe we can think of it as traveling to a different time zone. To a better time zone. And then staying in that time zone for a few wonderful months.
More than the first day of spring, the return of DST signals that summer is just around the corner. Yes, of course there is the same amount of daylight today as there was yesterday (plus three minutes because the days are getting longer) but now it is arranged in a manner that gives a nod to the outdoors. Just like summer does. Get away from artificial light, it says. Turn the computer off. Stash the smart phone. Go outside! Look around. Get your bearings. Indulge your curiosity. Recapture that summer mindset where the afternoons are a blank canvas with plenty of space to paint your next adventure.
And then when the sun finally does set, go back inside and start planning your summer vacation!