Darkness, darkness

Walking's my thing. I average a bit over 5 miles a day, and have done so for a few years now. I generally take care of the bulk of my mileage in the morning, purposefully walking and/or running errands. (That's the only running I do...) But I also like to do some "top off" walking in the early evening.

On Monday, when I was doing my top off - around 6 p.m. - it occurred to me that, as of this weekend, I won't be doing any evening walking on my usually paths around the Boston Public Garden or on the Esplanade, which runs along the Charles River. Starting Sunday, it'll be dark by 5 p.m., and while neither of those places are dangerous-dangerous, it's just not wise to venture into either of them once it's dark and there are fewer walkers/runners/bicyclists out and about. 

Instead, I'll have to content myself with a stroll on Charles Street, where there are restaurants, pubs, and stores that keep it peopled. And there's always the foyer of my building, which is monotonous - but, hey, 20 sets of back-and-forth pacing equals one thousand steps.

I do not welcome the end of Daylight Saving Time. In the least.

The extra hour's sleep when we "fall back" our clocks nowhere makes up for the complete assault on the system that comes when it's dark before 5 p.m., as it does when you live on the leading edge of a time zone. 

November is especially tough. Just darkness, darkness. By early December, the holiday lights will be up in the Boston Common and Public Garden, and the skaters will be back on the Frog Pond. Which helps alleviate the gloom. 

The last few years, they've blessedly left the lights on until late January/early February, and by that point the darkness at the end of the day is starting to lift. Slowly at first; then more appreciably. And before we know it, it's early March, there's light at the end of the Eastern Standard tunnel, and we're back on Daylight Savings Time. Let there be light!

What a gift! Even though March weather can be plenty rotten. As can April weather and May weather, for that matter. But having that light at the end of the day somehow makes it all okay. Actually better than okay. Lots.

I was so happy when they extended Daylight Savings Time to start (a lot) earlier and end (a bit) later. 

Every time there's a clock change, people come out of the woodwork to argue to make it permanent (yay!) or to argue to get rid of it (boo!). Nothing ever happens, but those who are against Daylight Savings do make me nervous. 

Anyway, the darkness at the edge of town starts earlier beginning this weekend. As will, no doubt, my patrolling Charles Street and/or my front foyer.

Meanwhile, the thought of darkness descending put me in mind of "Darkness, Darkness" by Jesse Colin Young of the Youngbloods, one of the best songs to come out of "my" music era. (It was released in 1969.) I wasn't a huge Youngbloods fan, but I always liked

"Darkness, Darkness." (And, yeah, I liked "Get Together," too. Come on people now, you know we could all use more folks smilin' on their brother and tryin' to love one another right now.)

Not that it's going to lighten anyone's mood if said mood is plummeting thanks to the end of Daylight Savings, but for your listening pleasure, I give you "Darkness, Darkness."

(When I let YouTube carry on, what followed after this song was R.E.M.'s "Losing My Religion," then Tim McGraw's "Humble and Kind." "Losing" does always manage to make me laugh, but "Humble", well, I defy anyone to listen to that one and not come away feeling a bit picked up. Maybe not enough to offset the darkness that's about to fall, but we'll take those pickups where we can find them.)