Spring Forward ... Fall Back?

Tonight marks Daylight Saving's Time for 2012. Before heading off to bed tonight we will switch our clocks forward one hour. What does that mean for you and me? Well, in the mornings when my husband or I drop our high schooler off at the bus stop (6:45 a.m.) it will go back to being dark again. On the other hand, we'll have an extra hour of daylight in the evenings after work which is nice because I can stop off for groceries and get home without having to turn my headlights on. That itself is gratifying on many levels.

Let's take a moment and try and relate the whole 'spring forward, fall back' concept to our personal lives. It's not just about light and dark in the sense of sunshine and warmth - I think we can relate to it on a different level. Do you ever have moments when you feel like for every step you make going forward, life throws obstacles at you forcing you to take two steps backwards? I know I have times like that. Many in fact. I suppose it's normal and just a reality we all must face at one time or another. Is there anything we can do to prevent it? Probably not, but that doesn't mean we don't still have some level of control. We can control how we choose to deal with those times and we can control how long we allow ourselves to dwell on the 'backward steps'.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not insinuating that it's easy. I'll even go out on a limb and admit that I feel that way quite often. In my heart I know the positive, productive moments will return - so I try to hold on to that. I am human and have my less than productive moments like everyone else. I can get frustrated and angry and discouraged, but I can also choose to dig a little deeper and somehow find the strength to get going 'forward' again. What's my secret? Sadly  I don't have any real magical advice other than giving myself the grace and the time to get over and get past whatever I'm having a hard time dealing with at the moment. There's no set timeline and there's certainly no directions on how to live a perfect life, but I do think trying to find the positive in any given situation will be a good place to start.

Ultimately spring is a time of sunshine, warmth, blue skies, flowers, and singing birds. It's a time of rebirth and energy. Join with me and embrace life as we 'spring forward' together.