Today is the last day of Daylight Saving Time for 2018, and at 2:00 tomorrow morning, our clocks will reset to 1:00. Unless, that is, you live in one of the jurisdictions that has shunned the outdated practice. The modern wisdom of Daylight Saving Time is debatable. It can have negative health consequences and is of questionable economic benefit. But for most of us in the United States, changing our clocks twice a year is unavoidable, so we might as well try to use it to our advantage.
It’s been three weeks since I started Project 333, where I limit my wardrobe to 33 items for three months, so this seemed like a fitting time for an update. Boxing up the rest of my clothes the day before I started the challenge was oddly anxiety-provoking. I felt a little sad packing away items I’d carefully selected, on which I’d spent good money not so long ago. I reminded myself that I wasn’t necessarily saying goodbye to those things forever, just taking them out of rotation for a little while. But my reaction made me notice how attached I am to some of my possessions, how tied they are to my self-image, and how hard it can be to let go.
I just returned from a lovely beach vacation in the Florida panhandle, so this seems like an opportune time to talk about the value of vacations. A recent survey found that just over half of U.S. professionals don’t use all their vacation days, and the number is even higher among Millennials (especially Millennial women). That’s despite the fact that Americans already have fewer paid vacation days than Europeans. But taking a vacation isn’t a luxury. There are very good reasons to take some time off and get away (aside from the fact that not taking your paid vacation days means you’re leaving money on the table and essentially volunteering). Read more
Over the past few months (years?), a thought has occurred to me with increasing frequency: I spend a LOT of time, mental energy, and money on what I wear. From reading fashion blogs, to planning the next day’s outfit, to trying to find the perfect companion for that unique item I bought, to online shopping, to trying on and returning purchases, clothes and accessories have claimed too much of my life. So I’m ready to say enough. It’s time to refocus all that energy and money on more important things.
I’ve been making intermittent efforts to eat locally produced food since I read Barbara Kingsolver’s Animal, Vegetable, Miracle some years ago, although I’ve never had the dedication of Kingsolver’s family to eat exclusively local. I try to grow some veggies at home, but my success with gardening varies. Foreseeing that weekly Saturday morning visits to the farmer’s market would likely be a challenge this year, I recently signed up for a CSA share.