Today was a perfect day to hike at Starved Rock. An early arrival guarantees solitude for a time; it was glorious. My first destination was LaSalle Canyon. She is one of my favorite places for spring flowers, and while I didn’t see any flowers, it was fun to take pictures of the sun peeking over the canyon wall, adding a glow to ferns, and stopping for an embrace by the branches of various trees.
Early morning in the woods is the closest thing I know to magic, dusk too. Those transition times are enchanting. Sunrises and sunsets, beginnings and endings. Reminders that time passes and is gone forever. These are the times that wildlife is the most active, too. There are so many lessons in Nature. She is wise.
Thoughts of the pending time change were in the back of my mind and dampened my spirits a little. There is nothing more UN-natural than changing the clocks every six months. I passionately dislike this regular disruption. At one point, I considered dedicating my life to ending this senseless assault on our fragile equilibrium. I’m not kidding.
In acupuncture, we seek balance in all things. A balanced body, mind, and spirit is the definition of health. An essential part of achieving and maintaining balance is being in tune with Nature. Rise with the sun. Sleep when it’s dark. Rest in the winter months. Engage in activity during the summer. These subtle ways of synching with Nature will, in time, allow one to feel part of something greater, to feel peace, and to find and maintain balance. Equilibrium.
I was fussing about this a bit between magical moments on the trail this morning. I was taking this picture when I suddenly realized that the sun isn’t going to change. Nothing is going to change except what our clocks say. NOTHING IS GOING TO CHANGE. So what if my patient comes at new 10:00 or old 10:00? Does it really matter? I get up 3-4 (or more) hours before work; going in an hour earlier or later won’t change my sleep schedule. Daylight savings time or not, I will get up before sunrise and go to bed after it sets.
We have power, the power to not care what time it is. Time is made up. Daylight savings time is extra made up. Of course, we have to keep track of time to schedule our lives, but if we squint at it, detach from it, the time change doesn’t have to be as disruptive as I used to allow it to be. Crazy or not. I’m going with this.