Instead of Daylight Saving Time, we should come up with some sort of Nice Weather Enjoyment time in the Rocky Mountain West. Spring may be a time of rebirth and renewal, but around here, it’s also a time of snow storms, torrential downpours, freezing temperatures, gale-force winds and mud as far as the eye can see. We should pitch Daylight Saving Time and instead institute a system that allows us to duck out of work anytime during the spring when the temperature is above, say, 50 degrees, and the sun is shining.
Let’s face it, when it’s nice out this time of year, nobody’s getting any work done, anyway. Everyone’s just staring out the window, wishing they were out hiking a trail in the Winds, sitting on a river bank in the Big Horns, or getting the mountain bike out for a Pole Mountain run.
It would mean everyone would have to be a little more flexible. Instead of most people working 8 to 5 Monday through Friday, we’d all get our 40 hours when the weather is nasty. That might mean opening the office on Wednesday morning, then closing shop until Wednesday night to allow the employees and customers time to enjoy the beauty of the season. Then when the sun sets, we’d all go back to work and put in a few hours. On those rare occasions when the weather stays nice all week, we’d only work at night.
You may be thinking this all sounds stupid and arbitrary. And you may be right. But so is Daylight Saving Time. And we’ve been doing that for more than half a century.
Nice Weather Enjoyment Time may never catch on, unfortunately. Hopefully you have some vacation days to use. Or if all else fails, you might have to call in sick. Fishing is a cure for whatever ails you, and these days, you don’t want to take the chance of making anyone else sick. Good luck this spring.
