We lost an hour of sleep this weekend thanks to good ole daylight savings time. As a Mama with little ones, I always hated this weekend. Nothing makes bedtime longer than ever than starting it an hour earlier than normal.
However, this year, I am not sure if it is that my kiddos are a little older and bedtime is more manageable or that this winter (and last few years) have seemed so dark. This year, I am so welcoming all the disruptions in sleep patterns if it means more sunshine each day. The time change is like the last hump to get over before the hope of spring starts becoming real.
Yes, I realize that by the time you are reading this, there most likely will be some snow on the ground. But then the weather looks to warm up. And can we talk about how amazing the weather was last weekend? After being cooped up inside for what seemed like an eternity, it was so freeing to just be outside all weekend long.
Not only that, but I do not think that there is anything better than the smell of the house when you can open the windows and let the gloom of the dark, wintry months leak out and the scent of fresh air whip in. Truly, it’s like the smell of the hope of brighter days coming that instantly makes me feel happier.
Last weekend, we were able to unpack the bicycles out of the shed and pump up tires for miles to be ridden in the next couple of months. In the front yard, I threw up pop flies and side-armed grounders to my eager softball player. Games of “around the world” were played in my driveway as my girl – still rocking her boots – worked on her shot and dribbling the basketball.
In the next coming weeks, I will replenish our supply of sidewalk chalk, water balloons and bubbles. And we will start making out plans for our garden of what exactly we want to plant this year and where. Soon enough, I will be digging out the summer clothes I hoped would still fit them this year and putting away most of the warm clothes that I can still hold onto for next winter. All of these things make my heart smile.
And I don’t know if others are like me and are still feeling the effects of March two years ago, when it seemed like winter — or at least the gloom of it — never actually went away with the start of the pandemic sinking in. But it felt like it lingered on and on and on. Like even though the weather broke, the world around still seemed so dark.
Last year, at least for the girls and I, we were still coping through a new normal — and falling into changes happening all around us. There was still so much doubt and uncertainty in what the spring and summer would bring, it was hard to know if we could actually trust what looked like brighter days ahead.
But this year, it just feels different.
It is almost like finally we can listen to the promises of spring. And guys, I do not know about you but there is nothing I need more than to dive into that sunshine and hope.
So, yes, we lose an hour this weekend, and we may have to adjust bedtimes for a few nights to get us back on track. But guess what? At this point, we are almost professionals at dealing with differences. Our change muscles have been training these past couple of years and we can certainly handle something this minimal in the grand scheme of things.
Making it exceptionally easier to handle is the hope of finally seeing some brighter days ahead. It is knowing that soon birds will be chirping, flowers will be blooming, grills will be dusted off, and Mr. Sun will be pouring down on us many more hours of the day.
So, make sure you set your clocks ahead this weekend — that is if you even still have any manual clocks to adjust these days. But remember, it is only an hour. And after two years of ups and downs, we can certainly handle an hour.
And then, soak it all in — all the hope, all the sunshine, all the bright memories to be made. Spring is coming. Hang tight, we are almost there.
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