“Nature is a place to sort through ideas, to gather and arrange words. Sunday was no exception. I took my thoughts to a trail that circles a small lake, a muddy place for dogs, horses, and their humans. It was a clear day, and I walked with the sun on one shoulder while the moon kept watch over the other. Leafless trees threw blurry shadows on what was left of the ice. It was a warm, beautiful day. It was also the dreaded day that we “spring forward” and forfeit an hour of sleep.

Time is fabricated in an attempt to organize communities within Nature’s rhythmic and cyclical design. Day turns to night and night to day, but the length of day in relationship to night changes by 2-3 minutes each 24-hour cycle. A meeting at sunrise wouldn’t be the same “time” from one day to the next.

Man has created systems that attempt to serve our need to communicate and coordinate. This isn’t a rant about Daylight Savings Time. Instead, I am humbly stepping off that soapbox. I disagree with systematically adjusting time, but I think maybe our bodies get used to it. Most people that live in this country have been managing this constant shift for a lifetime. A few weeks ago, I started waking up early for no apparent reason. Several people in my practice mentioned the same thing. It was interesting that this was happening to so many people. Then, I remembered a friend who instinctively goes to bed earlier thus wakes earlier in preparation for the time change. Genius. What if our bodies have integrated this change into Nature’s rhythm? Why not? Self-correction makes perfect sense. It fits.

I always feel out of sorts after a time change, but now, I wonder if the brain resists rather than the body. Maybe my struggle was with the IDEA of changing the clocks. Our bodies are resilient, incredibly so. Why would this be different? I will bow to this practice instead of fighting it moving forward. The toll of resisting is far greater than the physical adjustment. Letting go of this and trusting that my physical body knows what to do is empowering.

As I settled into this new perspective, I noticed barefoot (unshod horse) hoofprints that looked like peace signs. Jeez. Contemplating the value of Daylight Savings Time is meaningless in a world teetering on the verge of WWIII. Yet, what is life if we lose our curiosity? If we stop discussing ideas? How do we continue to live our lives fully in this horrifying climate? I settled on a gesture toward balancing the self-absorbed thoughts and hope for Peace. When I finished the loop around the lake, I turned around and faced the other direction—an expression of unwinding. Going the other direction was like being on a different trail, too—a new perspective. I thought of Thich Nhat Hanh’s walking meditation. This was different, but the source of inspiration matters. “Peace,” I whispered as I planted my right foot on the ground, followed by silence as I placed my left. “Peace,” I said again as my right foot moved forward, followed by silence with the left. As I moved, I was aware of my breath. And in this way, I circled the little lake.

At some point in my life, I learned that speaking words aloud gives them power and saying something three times makes it a prayer.

Peace. Peace. Peace.