for the time change

Confession: I love the fall-back part of daylight savings.

Wait! Wait! Don’t hate! Let me ‘splain!

Reasons I dig autumn daylight (or, night-dark, rather) savings:

1. The extra hour of light in the morning allows me to go running and maybe even, if I’m lucky, coerce my running-adverse husband into shuffling alongside. (He will read this and blow his top because I just said he “shuffles.” But I do not care. Here’s why. Just this week he bought a blinding florescent yellow, sweat-wicky running shirt AND running shoes AND glow-in-the-dark socks. At first I was happy because yay running partner. But then I got pissed because I’m the one who has been faithfully trotting my arse out of bed to pound the pavement for the last eight months and I didn’t spend any money to do it. I do my thing in non-athletic, frumpy garb and my not-even-wannabe-runner husband spiffs up for just the idea. Something is wrong with this picture.)

2. With the time change, we are getting up earlier, get things done sooner, and then getting to savor the longer evenings.

3. The kids go to bed earlier so I have more time to watch Parks and Rec.

I do recall that when the kids were little, the lost hour wrecked havoc. Suddenly, the twits were waking up at five in the morning, crying all day, napping at weird times, and then staying up too late. Back then, the change was hellish.

But now that the kids are older, it’s a dream. (And yes, you may disagree. I won’t cry.)

Now, for the (delightfully!) long evenings streeeeeeetching ahead, some good reads from around the web:

This article about creativity and why we don’t really like it as much as we’d like to think.

This story about growing up unschooled (until age 13). Of all her refreshing comments, my favorite is this: “When we weren’t inspired—which was often—we simply did nothing at all.” (Bonus: she includes a list of books that helped shape her parents’ decision to unschool.)

This article by Peter Gray about how children teach themselves to read.

This story about a father’s decision not to save for his children’s college. (We aren’t saving, either.)

This Parks and Rec clip of Amy and Joe. Every time I see it, my mood lightens.

This TED radio hour talk about millennials. (My oldest is, by the skin of his teeth, a millennial.)

How is your heart?

This same time, years previous: maple roasted squash, bierocks, yesterday, let me sum up, crispy cinnamon cookies, a teacher’s lesson, brown sugar icing, living history, and no zip.