I Need Daylight Saving Time

This morning I had a hard time waking up.  It was dark and it was cold and I had a snuggly little Shay in bed with me who has been under the weather so she too was not wanting to get up.  Carter was going out to breakfast before school with our friend Taylor and commented on the eerie dark blue sky, “Where is the sun?”  Now it was seven in the morning, but it felt so much earlier.

I am a morning person, but I like the morning to begin when the sun comes up.  The shortening days with the dark mornings are bad for my waistline.  I don’t know what the connection is to darkness and eating comfort foods, but somewhere in my brain they are coupled. I am fine with afternoon darkness because late night snacking is not my issue.  But starting a day in darkness somehow makes me want to eat more.

We are not going to be setting our clocks back until the Sunday after Halloween.  This date was chosen so that kids trick-or-treating could have more light time in order to go out and scoop up free candy.  I like for kids to be safe while trick-or-treating so I understand the rational behind this chosen date, even though it is one week after all or Europe goes on Daylight Saving Time, but I wish we could go on and move the clocks back now.  Not only do I have to rally myself up in the darkness, but also I am going to soon have Halloween candy in my house, which is always a dangerous thing.

The need for a little caffeine jolt in the mid-afternoon on a cold and dark day calls me to the kitchen.  If only there was nothing but a little espresso there I might be safe, but then there is some chocolate and I guess I need a guard to restrain me from my naughty thoughts and potential behaviors.

I blame this all on the lack of vitamin D from the waning sunlight that fall has stolen from me.  Maybe if I put up one of those full spectrum lamps right in the middle of the kitchen I could burn the autumn cravings right out of me.  If I could hire one of those movie spot lights and have it set to shine in my bedroom window about 5:30 every morning I could trick my body into thinking it is still summer.  I know a lot of friends who say that dieting is easier in the summer because the heat takes their appetite away or that the summer fruits and vegetables are more appealing.  I think that with air conditioning and year round produce availability I can prove those are not the reasons why dieting is easier in the summer.  Clearly it is the sunlight.

Fall is my favorite time of year, but I am going to have to work twice as hard to make it the healthiest time of year.  Damn all the candy and impending holiday foods, just bring me the morning sunlight.