That Hour

I went to set our lunch down at the kitchen table, and noticed that because of the time change, the light fell differently across the smooth wooden grains. It was shining on Rosie's spot at the table instead of Buddy's.

(Just one of many things I was too busy to notice ever before)

We turned the clocks back and we gained an hour. And with that hour comes something wonderful- it's no longer pitch dark at 6:30am- but also something I kind of dread.

The loss of late afternoon light.

My mood depends on the sun being out more than I care to admit. Gray days still make me want to crawl back into bed and watch movies and read books all day, something little ones don't always care for. Lucky for me, one of my best friends relies on sunshine as much as I do, so we send each other virtual sunshine rays through text. Never fails to make me smile.

When I worked at the newspaper, winter was brutal for me, moral-wise. I drove to work in the dark, and drove home in more of the same. I only had a 30 minute lunch, and hardly ever ventured off the grounds during that time. There weren't a lot of windows, and I barely saw the sun, in retrospect. It's no wonder I felt lousy.

I've gotten better when it comes to this time of year. I think it's the simple fact that our house faces south, and on a sunny day, the rays shine brightly into the house through our many front windows. It's an instant mood booster to see that beautiful light falling on us as the kids and I color and play.

I'm sure there will be days when the darkness of winter will get me down, but maybe as long as I keep noticing the little things, like the way the sun shines across the table, I'll come out of this winter on top. I'll try to enjoy every ray of sunshine that comes my way.