PEPER COLUMN: It's all just a matter of timing

Everybody rested and on time for work and school today? Did you "spring forward" this weekend with minimal disruption or are you still a little grumpy this morning because you lost an hour of sleep?

Ben Franklin first brought the idea to the colonies of saving daylight after seeing his friends in Europe put it to use. It's not really daylight saving time, though, is it? It's really daylight shifting time. The amount of daylight remains the same, but the time of day that the sun is shining changes.

Clock confusion

Some of the pros of DST:

--It saves energy.

--It decreases traffic accidents.

--More light in evening, less crime.

Some of the cons:

--Children wait for buses in the dark.

--Work productivity decreases.

--Sleep deprivation.

Congress voted in 2007 for daylight saving time to start the second Sunday in March and end on the first Sunday in November. In the 1960s, states and communities were allowed to set their clocks however they chose. This created some chaos.

For instance, in a 35-mile stretch of road between Moundsville, W.Va., and Steubenville, Ohio, there were seven time changes. It was time for a change all right -- a change to something that was standard or constant.

Top o' the mornin'

Does seeing the sun sooner make you want to jump out of bed and get the day moving? Or, are you inclined to cover the windows and pull the covers over your head, because you're the boss around here and nobody's going tell you when it's time to rise and shine. (There are probably some anger management classes available for those who are anti-DST.)

Through the years, we've used daylight saving time as a signal to change the batteries in our fire alarms.

Farmers maintain that regardless of what time the government says it is, the animals in the barnyard operate on their own biological clocks. Ever seen a rooster with a Rolex? Didn't think so.

So where does all this leave us? Hopefully, on time.

We're creatures of habit, though, and as such, we'll try to adjust our body clocks even though the hour reflected on the stove and our clock radios tells us otherwise.

If you're a little late getting somewhere today, a minor apology will usually be met with a nod of understanding. Try not to get testy in traffic. Besides, we're all in this together. Everybody behind the wheel is probably just as grumpy as you are.

As mentioned earlier, it was Ben Franklin who brought the idea of saving daylight to this country.

Maybe that's why he once said, "Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise."

Just keep in mind, he's also the guy who once said "When you're testing to see how deep water is, never use two feet."

So what have we learned here today? Don't be grumpy, apologize if you're late, and be patient with other motorists.

Besides, when you get home tonight, there will be additional daylight to cut the grass, trim the hedges, wash the pollen off the car and edge the sidewalk.

I'm just sayin' …

Reach Warren Peper at wpeper@postandcourier.com