Denis Lehane: Small sacrifice for a good night’s sleep
And this extra hour of stretching and snoring was clearly evident in mass on Sunday morning too.
During Monsignor O’Callaghan’s sermon, not one yawn was heard from his congregation. He had a most attentive audience. We were all bright eyed and bushy tailed, and eager for prayers.
After mass, everyone I spoke to referred to the extra hour in the bed, and of how it had worked wonders in all sorts of departments.
Everyone seemed to be in favour, with no dissenting voice high up or low down.
Anyhow, later in the day, still with a spring in my step from my extra hour under the duvet, I checked out my livestock, only to discover that the cattle too were far more alert and lively than they would normally be of a weekend in late October.
They were all for climbing ditches, and eager to meet neighbouring heifers.
The extra hour had put fire in their bellies, it had put wind in their sails.
Returning to the yard a little later, I peered into the hen house, only to spot the devil of activity here also. Eggs? You’ve never seen the likes of it. There was enough scattered around the house to feed an army!
So, from the largest half-squeezed old bull tearing on top of the boundary ditch, to the smallest íochtar scraping a living around the yard,
I think it’s fair to say that the extra hour benefited every creature great and small.
And then, thinking about that hour, for a spell by the fire on Sunday evening, it suddenly dawned on me that giving ourselves an extra hour in bed every Saturday night would be a marvellous thing.
“If we could give the old clock a twist every Saturday night, wouldn’t it be the makings of us?” I said to myself.
“Of course it would!” I replied.
Why does it have to be just the one night in the year when the gift of twisting the knob on the clock is bestowed upon us. Aren’t we very sparing with it?
Of course, some might argue that taking an hour off the clock each week would greatly upset the whole dynamics of time keeping in Ireland.
Well, all I can say is that if an hour here and there is enough to cause mayhem, then ’tis the sad old state we must surely be in.
Take it from me, the benefits attained from that extra hour in the bed each Saturday night would more than compensate for any upset caused to the timekeepers of the nation.
In farming alone, I could see wondrous benefits to us, both mental and physical.
Our energy levels would surely soar, thus overshadowing any concerns that might be voiced with regards to throwing the clocks into disarray.
At a time when the nation’s purse strings are anything but loose, my simple suggestion wouldn’t cost the country a brass farthing.
Sure, no one spends money when they’re fast asleep.
The only cost would be the loss of a couple of hours a month.
A few days perhaps, over the course of the year.
A small sacrifice really, for a good night’s sleep.
So why not turn back the clock again this weekend, and see how it pans out.
I feel it’s high time we made the move.
