My husband and I rendezvoused with our daughter and her husband in the Reykjavik airport a few weeks ago and continued on to Oslo together. While waiting to board our plane, one of us, probably me, brought up the question of the actual time back home.

“There is only one time zone.” said my son-in-law. “The one you are in.”

In that instant, I realized he was absolutely right. It was 6:30 AM Icelandic time. That meant 2:30 AM East Coast time. We would arrive in Oslo at 12:30 PM, which would be 6:30 AM at home after a night without sleep.  What do calculations like these accomplish? Nothing. Actually, they are worse than nothing! They make you feel sorry for yourself. They make you agonize about the missed sleep. They make you dread something about the day ahead. I’m struggling to come up with a time when self-pity, agonizing, and dread were of value! When was the last time those improved your day?

There is only one time zone that matters and that is the one you are in. If you are tired, get over it. You’ve probably been tired before. I sure have. And I don’t even have to get on an airplane to get a bad night’s sleep. Sleep is overrated. You don’t need a great night’s sleep every single night. More often than not, yes, but not every day.

Talking and agonizing about the “real time” that is only “real” somewhere else, somewhere you aren’t, is like complaining about having too much to do. It is like complaining about the weather. It is like complaining about your boss.

The only time zone that matters is the one you are in. Don’t whine! Especially around my son-in-law!

And we didn’t. Instead, we enjoyed a beautiful afternoon admiring the sculptures of Vigeland Park in Oslo.