evening

The Evening Walk

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One of my favorite activities is the evening walk. I go out almost every night for a 2.5 mile walk, to spend about 45 minutes clearing my mind, looking at the stars, and just observing nature. It’s a chance for my legs to get out and stretch, and to enjoy some fresh air after a day stuck in a stuffy office.

Glow

I go out nearly every night regardless of the weather. Sometimes it’s hot out. Other times it’s frigid and the cold winds are blowing snow in my face. Sometimes it’s raining. Other nights, it’s totally pleasant, and I see half a dozen different people walking dogs or going down to the local convenience mart.

Roadway

I really dislike missing my evening walk. I’ve been doing it for almost 6-years every night, and when I miss it I feel as though I am missing something important. My legs don’t feel right just heading home. I think something important is missing in my day if I miss the evening walk.

Daylight Saving Time

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This week starts daylight saving time, when we set our clocks back an hour to make the days appear an hour longer then usual. That means that we will have to get up an hour earlier to make it through our usual schedule, but we also will get an extra hour of sunlight in the evening. The first few weeks of savings time promise to be dark in the morning, but the extra light in the evening is greatly appreciated.

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The actual energy savings is questionable with so many Americans dependent on artificial cooling to make their houses cool at night. But the benefit is far greater then less energy use. It means that we have more time in the evenings to get out and explore the natural world. There is nothing quite as comforting as seeing natural light and getting some of that warm fresh air in a spring or summer evening.

It’s terrible that so many of us are imprisoned in fortresses all day that keep as away from the natural world we all are so dependent on. But with daylight savings time, we have more time to get outdoors before darkness overtakes the sky and makes it difficult to work outside without the help of the moonlight or bright flashlights. That extra day light regenerates us and allows us to have more time outdoors, that we might otherwise spend indoors.

Tree line and Sky

If people learned to embrace the heat and avoid their demands for air conditioning all the time, then daylight savings time would decrease energy use. If people where sensible, then daylight savings time would mean less use of artificial lighting, and less use of electronic toys. Daylight savings time is really an asset for all Americans, especially if they choose to embrace it’s benefits.