SLEEP -- HEALTH -- TIME ZONES -- SOCIALIZATION

Hope you remembered to turn your clock ahead an hour if you live where daylight savings time alternates with standard time.  California voters passed an initiative last November to make DST permanent year ‘round.   Our state legislature has to approve it by a two-thirds vote, then the federal government has to authorize.  We will join Florida awaiting passage of a Congressional bill followed by Presidential signature with the result being we won’t have to change our clocks any more!

“The majority of Arizona is on permanent standard time, and year-round DST is followed by Hawaii and the territories of American Samoa, Guam, the Minor Outlying Islands, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands.”  The Verge.

There have been studies about how our sleep and health are affected by having to make the DST time changes.  Now that the clock no longer dictates my daily life schedule my arising and retiring to sleep has much more flexibility, perhaps my body is less affected by the changes.

 I was intrigued by some facts revealed in a recent U.S.A. Today article including:

“Though spread over five time zones, China recognizes only one, Beijing time.  It is supposed to promote unity, but for those who live in the far west, the summer sun sets as late as midnight.

If the U.S. observed the one-time-zone policy (Washington, D. C., time, of course), the summer sun in Arizona would set as late as 10:42 p.m.”

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We all are probably aware of the research results that have concluded how important socialization can be for the psychological well-being of older people – especially those who may live alone or don’t have family or friends close-by with whom to interact.  Whatever our situation we make our daily social life with those we encounter on all levels of human interaction.   

I don’t feel compelled to have contact with another person every day.  Some days I find shopping at my local grocery, a visit to my pharmacy or other stores provides all the human contact I want with conversation at a quite sufficient level to nourish me socially.  

Then, there’s the verbal interaction that comes with those scam phone calls.  The latest one I received was a recording allegedly from the prime internet mail order business whose name they used.   I was told my account (what account?) had been “locked” in a city they also named with which I was familiar.   The accented male voice rapidly spewed out all sorts of order and account numbers followed by instructions to respond by choosing one of two phone links for immediate connection with them.   Then finally I was admonished to phone a number they provided for their “Security” Department.   

Of course, I ignored all those instructions.  I did independently phone the real Internet company, confirmed there was no such locked account there in my name.  I was told this was a new scam to them of which they would notify their Security Dept.   Later a friend told me they had received a similar scam allegedly from the same Internet company, but via email.   

Subsequently, my tech guru counseled me there was no need to double check such a call – notification of the account being “locked” would not be given by a phone call -- just ignoring the call whether or not a message is left is sufficient.   A second recorded call alleged to be from that same company was left another day from an unaccented woman speaker.   Do any of these interactions count for socialization minutes?  

Recently, my social life has seemed to center mostly on interaction with various service repair people – the phone calls for appointments, then the calls on service day to learn when they’ll arrive or awaiting a call they’re on their way, re-arranging other appointments.   When these household items on which we’re so dependent malfunction, I’m reminded of how much we take for granted when everything works as it should – whether our appliances, digital devices, or our bodies. 

I do resist looking over the shoulder of the workmen, or engaging them in much conversation when they’re working as don’t want to distract them.   But we do rack up some social gab they often introduce i.e. their experience repairing their house’s plumbing, or their wife is going to have a baby.   My husband used to find talk distracting when he was fixing things.   In later years concentration became more challenging for him with interruptions angering him.   He never really enjoyed being a handyman.   He said he’d rather play a dance job and hire someone else to fix things.   

Finally, and hopefully, my house drains  are all sufficiently open, not only for bathroom but washing machine operations and utility room wash tub emptying.  But...I am considering having the kitchen drain reamed out, just on general principle – am I getting addicted to service person calls?  

Frankly, when it comes to socializing, I must confess  I’d really rather be having discussions with other than my service providers and on topics other than the technicalities of drain pipes, reaming devices, materials causing blockage, aging effects on the old piping in my house’s system.    I’m ready to move on to different topics with other people.

So, what are your thoughts about socialization in your life and/or DST?