There are a lot of things to like about going off Daylight Savings Time.  At least if you’re a morning person.  This week I have been relishing the perks of changing the clock so that everything is an hour earlier than it was last week.

I love early mornings.  I’m not the best at getting out of bed, however.  So fooling my internal clock to get up at 6:15 when it feels like 7:15 is a good thing.  I’ve been able to retrieve that morning hour that slipped away all to easily when I hit the snooze button too many times.  Being up before much of the world is out and about is a great feeling.

I feel so productive when I get rolling first thing in the morning.  I hit the ground running and attack the day.  I’m pumped when I’ve gotten a whole lot done by mid-morning.  Only then do I feel I’ve earned the right to brew my coffee and savor it with a fresh batch of muffins.

My favorite early morning activity is to go out for my workout.  Run, cycle or ski – if the weather is at all accomodating, you’ll find me out there.  Which is another reason to love the time change.  I can leave behind the headlamp I’ve needed for the last few weeks, and actually see my surroundings when I leave home.  I know I’m not the only one enjoying it – the morning population on the lakewalk has boomed this week as well.  We’ve all been out there enjoying the beautiful glow of the sun’s rays at its low angle, illuminating the last remaining colorful leaves along the shoreline.  I realize that it’s a temporary blessing.  The inexorable creep of darkness accompanying the shorting of the days will reclaim my morning light in a few short weeks.  But I will enjoy the reprieve in the meantime.

There are benefits on the other end of the day as well.  My nocturnal habits are more easily curbed when it seems to have been dark forever, and I might entertain hitting the hay at a more reasonable hour.  At least for a while, until I adjust to the new normal.  Better yet, pursuing night time photography needn’t wait until an absurdly late hour.  The sky is plenty dark for illuminated landscapes or starry portraits in the early evening.  Waiting for the Northern Lights is another matter entirely, but I’m reasonable enough not to expect the clock change to remedy everything.

Yes, in my book there is a whole lot more than one hour gained by turning the clocks back.  And you can probably guess that I’m not to fond of springing forward.