PRECIOUS TIME

The “fall back” return to standard time early Sunday isn’t just a Spokane thing, of course.

Except for a couple of places that boycott the Daylight Saving dance, the whole country gains an hour this weekend.

But it would be appropriate if we made a special fuss about it here. Think of it as potent symbolism. Because deep down, Spokane is all about having the time to do what matters. For many, it’s the real answer to “Why do you live here?”

Sure, everybody talks about opportunities for outdoor recreation. And despite the occasional body blow to our homey reputation, we still think of this area as family-friendly.

But time is the true currency of quality-of-life. Having enough of it is this city’s unspoken promise.

Spokane offers you a deal.

If you can accept doing without a few big-city cultural amenities, you won’t have to spend endless hours on freeways.

If you can handle a poky economy and an occasional dollop of small-mindedness, you will be able to afford a decent place to live and you won’t have to brace for drive-by shootings.

Admittedly, this bargain gets strained now and then. And for many in our community – those without good jobs and crime victims, for instance – it’s utterly irrelevant.

But the Spokane trade-off is supposed to leave you with enough time to coach soccer, go skiing or get happily lost in the woods. That is the city’s animating idea.

When people picture themselves moving here, they don’t conjure fantasy visions of staying late at the office.

So does that make us a bunch of complacent, underachieving slackers who call in sick on Friday and don’t care about our careers?

Maybe. It depends on your perspective.

Aristotle, the Greek philosopher, was not in a focus group that previewed “Near Nature/Near Perfect.” But he said that the reason we work is so that we can have leisure.

He could have been talking about Spokane. And that sometimes drives those with workaholic values crazy or to Seattle, assuming there’s a difference.

Of course, people here are not immune to the societal pressures that lead to survey after survey showing that many Americans consider themselves overbooked.

Juggling myriad competing demands … multitasking … sleep deficits … 39 flavors of stress … it’s all here. Look around.

It’s just that it’s not a quintessentially Spokane thing to celebrate not having enough time. Oh sure, plenty of people do. Some can turn an out-of-control “to do” list into performance art.

But those frenetic folks get on your nerves, don’t they?

Spokane’s leisure ethic means some of us view time as a commodity that can be traded for a few moments with a fishing rod or a bike ride with a daughter who is just learning to sing.

Granted, that’s another in a series of broad generalizations.

We undoubtedly spend just as many hours watching TV and playing computer games as people elsewhere. It’s not all one big campout on the lake.

But we’ve also talked ourselves into believing that to be an Inland Northwesterner means having an especially well-honed appreciation for the re-creating value of recreation.

And what better time to salute that than the weekend when we are graced with the return of the hour that once was lost?

Many of us spend the bonus hour sleeping or trying to remember how to reset the VCR clock.

Still, there’s nothing to prevent someone from deciding in advance on a specific use for that gift of 60 minutes.

“I will use the extra hour to tackle the messy garage, as my 5-year-old is being terrorized by the mouse that now inhabits it,” said Bryan Correll, a Spokane dentist.

Sounds doable.

Mary Long, who works in the payroll department at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center, is hoping for a small miracle.

“It would be great if someone could convince our pets that they’re supposed to sleep for that extra hour,” she said.

Good luck.

Maybe the best way to absorb the tacked-on time is to reflect on the pace of your life and think about what you control and what seems to control you.

Over the years, watchers of “The Andy Griffith Show” reruns have been polled about their favorite episodes. And time after time, one of the top vote-getters is a gem called “Man in a Hurry.”

It’s the story of a rush-rush businessman, Malcolm Tucker, whose car breaks down on a Sunday in Mayberry. His attempts to get it repaired leave him frustrated, fussing and fuming.

Gradually, though, the quiet charm of the town and its well-intentioned residents starts to work its magic on him. He remembers what it means to relax and enjoy life.

Now, Spokane is not Mayberry. And one hour isn’t apt to change your life.

But it’s long enough to consider your relationship with time.

My favorite book title can be found on the cover of a Calvin and Hobbes collection: “The Days Are Just Packed.”

In Spokane, if you’re sticking to the plan, that should sound like a good thing.