If it feels later than what the clock says as you read this, it’s likely because it is. Assuming you’re reading this Sunday morning (actually assuming you’re reading this at all in the first place as well but we won’t go there), it’s now standard time so it’s 8 a.m. instead of 9 a.m. (or thereabouts).
If you didn’t know that, you’re welcome and hope you enjoyed the extra hour sleep, my treat.
But hopefully you did and adjusted your day accordingly.
It’s funny how now that the time change is a couple weeks later than it used to be you notice certain things.
Like how dark it’s been in the mornings lately.
You know one of the reasons for prolonging daylight saving time was to save money on energy and lights in the evening was it not?
Well how does that work when you’re turning on the light to go to the bathroom at 7 a.m. instead? Obviously it takes a smarter man than I to figure that one out. Or, ‘they,’ whoever ‘they’ are, don’t know what they’re doing and we’re all guinea pigs just going along with the flow. Naaaaa, couldn’t be…..
….well the fine people at Big Brothers and Sisters and FedEx Express Canada used the time change to try and push a point. Their promotion is based on the question – What would you do with an extra hour?
They utilized the services of pollster Angus Reid to ask British Columbians and Canadians how they might use this gift of an extra hour on this Earth, at the same time promoting the volunteering aspect of life and how it doesn’t necessarily take a ton of time to give back to the community.
Well, they found out, which most of us already know, that we consider ourselves overworked, stressed out and time-crunched. Soooo…..British Columbians answered the question of how they would like to spend an extra hour if they could somehow get one the following way:
1. Family and friends – 29 per cent.
2. Complete household errands and chores – 25 per cent.
3. Catch up on sleep – 17 per cent.
4. Exercise – 14 per cent.
5. Pursue personal interests – 12 per cent.
6. Volunteering – 2 per cent.
7. Work – 2 per cent.
Now something about this list seems a little politically correct, as in people give answers that they think the pollsters want to hear or what they think everybody else would say who’s trying to appear ‘normal’ or Canadian or whatever.
I mean sure I’d like to spend more time with family and friends and most regrets later in life are based on this sentiment (I think it was Ann Landers who said she would’ve fretted less about whether her house was clean or what people would think and had friends and family over more often if she could do it all over again) but too often we waste it watching football on TV (not that that’s a sin or anything and often just what the doctor ordered for relaxation) while the kids are on the computer if the truth be told.
My wife, and likely most wives, would answer No. 2 (see Ann Landers above) and they have a point. There never seems to be enough time to do the laundry and vacuuming and we don’t want to end up on that hoarders show on TV, but, hey, a genie gives you the gift of an hour and you pick chores? I don’t think so, besides I need a week to get mine done, so what good is an hour?
No. 3 is my honest answer and aren’t we all sleep-deprived? Nuff said.
No. 4 would be great but kind of falls into the same category as No. 2.
No. 5 I assume is hobbies but I’m saving relearning the guitar or getting back to stamp collecting for retirement.
No. 6 is kind of sad and something we should all look in the mirror about and the real point of the study, so think about it.
No. 7 is a no-brainer. We work enough.
Anyway, I guess the reality is that you’ve just wasted 10 minutes of your extra hour today reading this column so whaddya gonna do with the other 50 minutes?
—Glenn Mitchell is the managing editor for The Morning Star
