Autumn light

Obviously, Daylight Saving Time ending effects people a lot, but this year is the first time I thought about it in terms of how the change in light is affecting people. All of a sudden my walk home after class feels later in the day, because the sun is already starting to go down. The time I can go out and spend with people also feels later now, because it is always dark by the time I am free. This makes me feel like I’m not getting as much done as a used to; I used to, subconsciously, time my work by when it got dark, I think. Now I feel like I’m staying up later to finish things than I used to. I’m starting to get used to it though, and then when Daylight Saving Time begins again I will have to adjust all over again! Also, for a few days after the time change, I drove a lot more carefully in the afternoon, because it seemed to be that some people might not expect the change in visibility, and there might be more accidents.

As the weather has been changing and people have started to talk about how it just “feels” like autumn now I realized that part of the cause is the change in light. The difference between a bright day with no clouds and a bright day with the sun shining through a layer of clouds is big! With the latter the light seems cooler and, maybe because it is reflecting differently due to the clouds, but it creates a glare that seems to come from everywhere, as opposed to a glare from one direction. Also, the longer nights are something that I definitely associate with winter and Christmas; not only because that’s just the way it is this time of year, but because we use the nights differently! People light up their houses, and they can be seen for longer, since it gets dark sooner. Autumn and winter make me think for holding up inside somewhere, staying warm, when it’s dark and cold outside. The time change and the change in light due to weather, dramatically shape how we feel about this season!