Does anyone think an additional hour of this year's political season was what everybody wished for? Yes, me either. It happened anyway, with a lot less fright and fanfare that usually comes with Daylight Saving Time (DST). One might think it isn't the fall back that bothers most people, it is the spring forward. But I am here to tell you they both play havoc on our body, in eating and sleeping patterns. However, parents of small children usually feel it ten-fold.

So why do we still have to set our clocks ahead in the spring and back in the fall? Many have thought it had to do with farmers. That is not the case. As a matter of fact, in 1918 when the law has enacted, the farmers fought hard to keep it from happening. These time changes caused delays in their routines. The true reason is, we followed the example of Europe after World War 1. The Europeans implemented DST to conserve coal. It was a useful tool for the times.

Or coal or energy usage has changed a great deal since 1918, yet every year we push the clocks ahead with distress in the spring and push them back every fall like good little energy savers. What many of us don't know or have not realized is this is not federal law. It isn't a required statute that must be followed and has to be changed by amendments to the constitution.

It is however up to each state and states that have several time zones can come down to the decision of the districts they affect. I have a hard time finding a valid reason for this exercise in time management. Now as a parent of once school-age children, I did at one time believe the fall back was a benefit in the early mornings sending my girls off to school. However, it was short-lived and the closer to December the darker the mornings got. And if you have children that have after school activities, the darkness crept into that time as well.

Let's discuss the eating and sleeping changes that occur during these events. Even though this is an hour difference, it is sixty minutes that changes internal clocks. With the current environment, political and pandemic, each one of us, man, woman, and child are dealing with sleeping and eating dysfunctions to some extent. Time to break out that yoga mat, meditation music, and keep track of your food intake for the next few weeks.

I for one will try my hardest not to give way to one more hour of horrible election ads, and do my best to stay focused on the current time and not on the "before daylight saving time."