Beyond the Byline: Can we turn back years instead of one hour?

WILKES-BARRE — This weekend we will again turn our clocks back one hour, marking the end of daylight saving time.

Back to the daily routine of waking up and going to work in the dark and returning home after work — in the dark.

It’s always a treat when you gain an hour of sleep, but an awful price to pay when darkness surrounds our days.

So, as people turn their clocks back this weekend for the end of daylight saving time, the American Red Cross will again urge us to also test our smoke alarms. Home fires are the nation’s most frequent disaster and tragically take seven lives every day in this country.

As we rejoice for the extra hour of sleep, AAA Mid-Atlantic will also remind drivers to be prepared for potential challenges, such as changes in sleep patterns that may increase chances of drowsy driving and shorter days which means driving home in the dark.

AAA Mid-Atlantic reports sleep-deprived drivers cause more than 6,400 deaths and 50,000 debilitating injuries on American roadways each year, according to the National Sleep Foundation (NSF).

This turning back the clock idea got me to thinking — wouldn’t it be great if we could turn back years, instead of one measly hour?

I would fire up the Way Back Machine and take several trips — the first, of course, would be to head back to Reynolds Street in Plymouth and see my mom and dad again. That would be a heckuva trip for sure.

Another trip would be to Plymouth High School to walk those halls again and stop to see Coach John “Snoggy” Mergo for a few laughs and life lessons.

And then I would head to Coal Street and Blair Street and Turner Street to pick up my pals and drive to the Jersey Shore.

We would leave early and go right to the Premiere Motel and check in, then head across the street to Uncle Lou’s for breakfast. In the evening, we would go to the Shamrock Bar for fun and libations.

And we would spend our days on the beach or at the Premier’s rooftop pool and walk the Boardwalk — the shops, the games, the rides. Saltwater taffy and fudge will make the return trip.

This is where my pals and I set out on exploring life in a way we hardly had any experience in, but we managed, and we had fun.

It was back in 1969-70-71 when we were young lions, or at least we thought we were.

These were times when we were so unaware of where we were, much less where we would end up.

My pals and I found our slice of paradise in Wildwood at the family-owned Premiere Motel and its rooftop pool. It’s still there and thriving.

Uncle Lou’s has been demolished, and the Shamrock Bar is gone too.

We would peer off our little balcony of our room and look down to Wildwood Avenue between Pacific Avenue and Atlantic Avenue during those glory days and nights of the ’60s and ’70s.

I just have this sentimental gene, I guess, that drives me to return to those days when life was so much simpler and so much fun.

Our friends from our high school and college days were in our lives for a short time, yet we seem to want to remember as much as we can from those formative years. We all went different ways, taking different paths to very different destinations.

But back then, we were pretty much all the same — we had a common goal and that was to enjoy life while we could before the realities of life came calling.

And they sure arrived at our doorsteps. There have been good times in the decades since. And there have been not so good times. We like to get together and talk about where we all have traveled in life, but the stories are not nearly as exciting and funny to tell.

It’s hard to believe it was so long ago. I can still see the places. I can taste the pancakes at Uncle Lou’s. I can see the crowds at The Shamrock. I can see the lights of the Boardwalk and I can hear the driver of the tramcar on the Boardwalk say, “Watch the tramcar, please.”

We always would drive through Avalon, Stone Harbor, Wildwood Crest and Cape May just to walk around and check those places out.

Yeah, it sure would be great to turn back the clock of time b y the year, not the hour. But, alas, we can’t — at least not yet. Maybe some really smart tech company will create a computer or device that will transport us back in time — at least in our minds. You know, a virtual reality tour.

It always looked so easy on Star Trek when Captain Kirk would say “Beam me up Scotty.”

Sign me up when that technology arrives. There are so many virtual trips I want to make — to see family, friends, events, hometowns, small schools, sports rivalries, Sandy Beach dances, classic cars, and so much more.

So much more than gaining an hour of sleep.