What Would It Be Like to Have a Sense of 24 Hours?

22 May 2012
8:21 PM

Sunrise at	4:02 AM	in direction	31°	North-northeast
Sunset at	11:36 PM	in direction	329°	North-northwest

Duration of day: 19 hours, 34 minutes (6 minutes, 49 seconds longer than yesterday)

Civil Twilight all day

Our yard after midnight

One understanding I used to think important was the notion of Circadian rhythm. The rhythm of human life is supposedly based on these cycles of 24 hours. According to the the National Institute of Health, the definition of circadian rhythm is: "Circadian rhythms are physical, mental and behavioral changes that follow a roughly 24-hour cycle, responding primarily to light and darkness ..." [Circadian Rhythm Fact Sheet]. But what about when your life rhythms have developed in other latitudes? Are all humans affected by drastic changes in light and dark, no matter where they are born and raised? Does it effect mental health, fertility, and physical well-being for everyone or only those thrust into these changes?

I have NO idea. All I know is I am usually guessing at the time based on some reference point in the day, rather than a sense inside myself. But, I think I may be adapting. I think I may sense that it is closer to 11 PM than 8 PM, for example, but that may be based on what I have done all day. Today is a good example. I got in the car to go by where Dad is staying tonight. He opted to stay in a hotel since he will be getting up early and leaving for the plane early. We told him we do that all the time, but no matter - he felt more comfortable doing this. I dropped him off earlier, did some errands, picked Gary up and then got in the car to go back over to Pike's Landing to visit a bit more. My sense of time was that it was about 4 PM in the afternoon. It was in fact 6:30 PM. It is true that by the solar noon and factoring in our far west we are - it was closer to 4:00 PM than 6:30, but I was still surprised when I looked at the clock.

Ah well - I really don't care. This is the time of year to make the most of the light. I don't have any trouble sleeping in the twilight of summer. I honestly don't stay up more in summer than in winter (since I really never know what time it is in then either). I always, always, always enjoy the light from May to August.

As promised, here are a few photos, showing how the spring is progressing. Look at the ducks in the first one and the crane closest to the tree. The three in parade are leaving the pond for a tilled tract where many, many cranes and geese were eating in Creamer's Field. The cranes blend so well into the colors of spring that I did not take a photo of them.