Twice a year most of us in the United States and Canada and a bunch of other countries go through a strange ritual.

In the fall we “fall back” and move our clocks back an hour. This means we get an extra hour of sleep at night. This also means that it gets dark by 5 p.m. In the spring we “spring forward” and we move our clocks forward an hour. This is daylight saving time, and it means during prime saving time we have light until like 9 p.m.

Again I say it’s time to stop the madness. Let’s pick a time and stick with it all year round. (Please note: I make this rant ever couple of years, so I thought I’d bring it back again for 2026 because it’s getting ridiculous that we don’t pick either daylight-saving time or standard time and stay with it.)

I would prefer to stay on daylight saving time all year. I’m not a fan of 5 o’clock darkness. I like it being light deep into the evening. More daylight means more outside activities in the evening. It’s nice to have more light after work.

More daylight during the evening hours when people are awake and active means less artificial light is needed. That means we save energy. Plus, more daylight during the day can increase our happiness as. To put it simply, people like being exposed to natural light!

More light during the evening also increases visibility while driving, which cuts down on accidents. The added light time at night means people are out more in the evenings, spending more money at restaurants and businesses. I know my family and I spend a lot more money during the evening hours when we can go to Mr. Twistee’s and Mac’s Drive in. (This has not changed over the years.) Plus, it’s nice to be able to play outdoor pickleball until 8:30 p.m. without lights on.

Way back in March 2022, the U.S. Senate, a group of folks that hardly agrees on anything, unanimously passed the “Sunshine Protection Act.” The goal of the bill was to stop the madness and make it always daylight-saving time. Of course, the House of Representatives, being the mass mess of confusion, has never brought the bill to the floor. The bill was reintroduced last year but still has not been brought to the floor.

There are two sides to this argument: Some health experts say eliminating daylight saving and sticking to standard time is the way to go. Springing forward in the spring causing us to lose an hour of sleep, which can mess with our circadian rhythms and disrupt our sleep patterns. One study has shown heart attacks increase 10% on the Monday after Daylight Saving Time begins. Another study shows that stroke risk increases 8% on that day. A lot of sleep experts argue that it’s healthier to stick to natural daylight hours. People can’t make up their minds which is better.

A new hope has arrived called “Daylight Act of 2026,” suggesting we shift the clocks forward by 30 minutes permanently — giving us the best of both worlds. Everybody gets a little something and we don’t have to ever reset our clocks again. This just makes sense to me.

Of course, our times wouldn’t align well with the rest of the time zones unless we convince the rest of the world to change also.

Now, if you don’t mind, I must go find that one clock that doesn’t reset itself that I always forget about. (By the way, as I write this, British Columbia just made Daylight Saving Time standard.)

John Zakour lives in Geneva. He is a freelance humor writer with a bachelor’s in computer science from SUNY Potsdam and a master’s in human behavior. He is a chief happiness practitioner. He writes his own syndicated comic, “Working Daze,” which has anywhere from 30,000 to 100,000 daily readers. Contact him at johnzakour@gmail.com, or check out his blog at workingdaze.blogspot.com

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