Beech Tree News Network

Jane Austin said, “Life seems but a quick succession of busy nothings” and Taron Egerton said, “I think being busy is a healthy thing” (https://www.brainyquote.com/topics/busy). Our coming week might be considered busy: we’ll have Halloween, a time change and Election Day. And each one is of some importance.

First, Halloween, or All Hallows' Eve, is a celebration observed on Wednesday, October 31 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halloween). In the United States, Halloween is a commercial and secular celebration. Halloween activities often include trick-or-treating, attending costume parties, carving pumpkins, visiting “haunted” attractions, and watching horror films. In recent years, some churches and organizations have enjoyed trunk or treat events. In Morgantown, our trick or treat hours are commonly 4 to 7 or 8 p.m.

Second, daylight savings time ends on November 4th at 2 a.m.  This has also been referred to as “falling back” or “winter time.” In most of the United States, Daylight Saving Time (DST) starts on the second Sunday in March and ends on the first Sunday in November. On Saturday night or Sunday, we’ll set our clocks back one hour to local standard time. Until I adjust, I’ll definitely notice having one hour less daylight in the afternoon.

Third, Election Day is November 6th. The races – whether for federal, state, or local office – will be administered by the state and local governments. According to Wikipedia, “all 435 seats in the United States House of Representatives and 35 of the 100 seats in the United States Senate will be contested. In addition, 39 state and territorial governorships as well as numerous other state and local elections will also be contested” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_elections,_2018). These “midterm elections” are held at the midpoint of the presidential term, with the next presidential election scheduled for Tuesday, November 3, 2020. Hopefully, people will get out and vote their convictions.

The coming week may be a busy one. As Kevin Hart said, “I don’t care how busy I am – I will always make time for what’s most important to me” (https://www.brainyquote.com/topics/busy). These three events are not of equal importance. Halloween and the time change will affect me on the date and perhaps for a few day afterward, but Election Day has the potential to affect me for years. Therefore, on November 6th, I plan to vote. It’s important.