Fine, How are You?: being in the dark isn't just for naive people

Why is the time change affecting me so badly this year? It's no different than any other year, yet it just seems SO MUCH DARKER THIS TIME! It could be the hideous cloud coverage we have had for the last 5 days straight, and the fact that when I drive to work it is dark and when I leave work it is dark. So I thought I better think positively about being in the dark so I do not fall into a deep depression.......

Here are my top (however many sound good) reasons for LOVING the dark:

1. I can play Hide and Seek with my family, find a really good hiding spot, with a book and a flashlight or my laptop and get some real private time.

2. I don't have to wait until after 9pm to go for a walk where I pretend to exercise, but I am really looking into people's houses, checking out how they decorate, what color paint is on the walls, what they watch on TV....(not that I get that close or anything....)

3. If I hide the clocks, around 7:30pm I can tell the kids "it's BEDTIME!" Then I get the TV and the house all to myself.

4. I never have to clean the house / yard during the week - it always looks clean by the time I get home without that sun coming in and no one can see how dirty it really is!

5. I can come home from work and put my PJ's on immediately without feeling foolish.

6. The kids are easier to keep an eye on - they aren't outside and they won't go in any room alone.

7. No lawn mowing after work (who am I kidding?? -I never have to mow the lawn, but the hubby does, so now he is available to do OTHER things!

8. No uninvited guests come knocking on my door.

9. My car looks a lot cleaner and shinier too.

10. It could be 6:30pm, but if I say, "No, we can't do that, it's getting late" no one really questions me.

11. It's a great excuse to buy more cute lamps, fun candles, keep the twinkle lights up, turn on the fire (like that? turn ON the fire- no wood chopping over here...)