Hour time to shine!

“Sleeping is giving in,

no matter what the time is.

Sleeping is giving in,

so lift those heavy eyelids.”
--Rebellion (Lies) by Arcade Fire

I’ve had this gem of a tune playing on repeat for the last ten minutes or so – and how apropos. Now, perched on the verge of June, the serotonin is flowing freely and, as the great poet Alice Cooper once said, “School’s out for summer.”

DST is keeping Old Man Sunshine up late, and we’d all be wise to follow suit. After all, one of the top perks of adulthood is choosing your own bedtime. (Other key benefits: walking around outside in socks, standing with the fridge door wide open and spoiling your dinner with cookies and/or chips).

Just imagine what you could accomplish this summer if you shaved off a nightly hour of sleep! You could:

1. Crawl under the sheets with a book and a flashlight. (What you do with them is totally up to you.)


2. Watch two consecutive reruns of “Scrubs” on TBS.


3. Write a letter to your congressman/woman. You know, just to say “hi.”


4. Pray for world peace. And for your own peace.


5. Read this blog six times.


6. Learn a new language. Portuguese, Polish and Punjabi are three possibilities – and there are, like, 6797 more to choose from!


7. Hold an uninterrupted conversation with your significant other. Or your mom. Or your kid.


8. Listen to the above-referenced song by Arcade Fire 11.5 times.


9. Get an aromatherapy massage (assuming you can find a salon that keeps late hours).


10. Turn off everything electronic – and discover true silence.

If you’ve got other brilliant ideas, be sure to let me know!

Now that I’ve consumed today's extra hour with this little exercise, it’s my time to hit the sack. If I hurry, I may be able to catch the end of “Scrubs.”