You'd think after 50 plus years, I would be used to Daylight Saving Time.
But every year it screws me up for days. Don't get me wrong, turning back the clock in the Fall and gaining an hour is nice, but losing that 60 minutes, is really messing with my daily routine.
People ask me, "How can that be..it's only an hour?" I know. I have found some people going through the same thing, so at least I know I am not the only one.
I think my problem was that I didn't sleep well Saturday night knowing that I had already lost an hour of my life. So instead of sleeping in to catch up, I barely caught a few hours of shut eye.
By Monday, I felt like I had run a marathon. I was sluggish, tired and out of sorts.
It probably didn't help that my schedule changed at work, but that happens and usually isn't a big deal.
By Tuesday, I was sharing my experiences with co-workers who said they felt that time loss as well.
I dragged through the day, yawning and moving slow. Then at 4 p.m. when our day really kicks into gear, I knew I had to wake up.
I stopped on my way to my live report in Greece to pick up a hot chocolate. Not the healthiest thing in the world, but I needed the caffeine and I can't drink coffee that late in the day.
It did help me get through the next two hours without wanting to crawl in a corner and take a nap.
It also helped that I was a busy bee covering the town board meeting in Greece where the supervisor was addressing the board and the public for the first time, about his relationship with a murder victim.
When I got home, the hot chocolate high had gone away and I wanted to go right to bed at 7:30. But I forced myself to stay awake until 10--and then hit the sack.
I didn't feel any more energetic yesterday, but this morning I woke up feeling like my old self again. I still didn't really want to get out of bed, but at least my legs moved when I started to walk to the shower.
I know it takes a few days for our bodies to adjust to any kind of change...but really, I have to learn how to deal with this better next year.
I must admit though, I am loving driving home after work in daylight instead of the dead of night!!! Maybe losing that hour really is worth it.
Patrice Walsh/Reporter
