For all of you who remember the Steve Miller Band singing about how “time keeps on slipping into the future,” March 12, 2023 is one of those rare times you can prove it is so.

After retiring on Saturday night, March 11 at your normal bedtime, you’ll wake up Sunday morning having lost an hour due to the return of daylight savings time as required by federal law. It’s a small price to pay to have more sunshine in the evening during the warm time of the year.

A quick Google search will highlight the fact that changing the clock twice a year is a politically charged issue across the country. Legislation has been filed with no success in Congress to make daylight savings time permanent. Some states have taken up their own legislation to change the law. Although legislation is frequently filed in Massachusetts to make daylight savings time permanent, no such laws have been passed.

How did the government land on 2 am on a Sunday as the official kickoff for DST?  The 2 am time was requested by railways in 1918, rather than a proposed time of midnight, as it would cause less disruption to train schedules.

“Spring forward, fall back” remains the rule. By the way, anybody looking for that lost hour would be well advised to sit tight until November 5 when standard time returns.