Morning is the Best Time of Day

Morning is the best time of day for me. I’m, normally, out of bed between 6-6:30, down the hall to start my coffee and booting up my PC. To me,when morning comes it’s like the cards have been re-shuffled  and all possibilities are available again. Most of the problems I had yesterday are behind me and I approach the new day with enthusiasm and intrigue. You see, I never know what new and exciting event will present itself. One day I’m helping a good friend with a PC problem, the next I’m working on a friend’s lawnmower, or having dinner with close friends and relatives. I tend to believe that I am responsible for the happiness in my life, so I must take that responsibility seriously and do something about it. The best way to do that, in my opinion, is to wake up each morning, jump out of bed and announce to my wife “ The Son (a little play on words) is UP!†I expect each and every day to be exciting. It doesn’t always turn out that way, but I always expect it to. My belief is if you don’t expect much, you won’t get much. So, today, I’m expecting to hear from you. Don’t disappoint me

The other day I downloaded the audio book “Crime and Punishment†by the Russian author Fyodor Dostoevsky. I know, I know, I was suppose to have read that book in high school, but if I did I do not remember it. I recently read a review that said it was one of the best novels ever written, so I felt an overwhelming need to listen to it. Written in 1866, I sorta believed it couldn’t be all that good, that surely, more modern day authors would be able to tell a story in a more compelling manner. Well, about 1 hour into the story, my mp3 player went on the fritz. I have purchased a new one (ebay) and it is on its way to my front door. You have to be careful with the type of player you purchase. It is very important they be able to bookmark, or when you turn them off you will have difficulty resuming at the place you stopped. Anyway, a hour into “Crime and Punishment†I am not impressed. But, hey, looking on the bright side, it’s gonna get better!

I read an article recently that said scientists were working on a pill that would stop the aging process. Their theory is the pill would trick the mind into thinking you have restricted your caloric intake, without having to actually do so. Not only would it prevent disease, it would extend our lifespan. I have tried to do that very thing (tell my mind that I haven’t overeaten), and I can tell you, it doesn’t work. If they ever get that pill to market I will be jostling for a front spot in line.

My wife got a little aggravated with me the other day and said “You know doodly squat (A small worthless amount)â€. “Noâ€, says I, “I’m afraid I don’t, is it a man or woman?â€. “It’s a man†she says derisively. “Well, I don’t know himâ€, says I. “You should, he looks like you!â€, she responds without a moment’s hesitation. So now, I’m thinking, if he looks like me, then I probably do know “Doodly Squatâ€. I wonder, did I win that argument or lose it? If I know Doodly Squat, then you probably know him also. Let’s see, “Who’s†on first, “What’s†on second and “I Don’t Know†is on third……

The speaker on one of my truck doors has refused to play for over a month, so I decided I need to replace it with one from the junk yard. The cost of a new one from our local Dodge dealership is $68. I stopped at the auto junk yard yesterday and inquired about one. The old guy behind the counter says “Yea, we have a ’96 Dodge Ram down in the yard across from the crusher, but you will have to take it outâ€. “I don’t have any tools with me, can I borrow from youâ€? So off I go, meandering through every conceivable type of old, worn out, wrecked, vehicle. Finally I spot my truck, with the front end off and many body parts removed. I look inside and one speaker remains, just the one I needed. I proceeded to remove the door panel (it took about 5 minutes) and extract the speaker. What a jewel! It was a sparkling Pioneer speaker and was in great shape. You pay twice the price for a Pioneer or Bose speaker, so I was delighted to find this one in the truck. The last one I purchased at a junk yard I paid $10 for and I’m wondering what he will charge me for this one, since it’s an expensive one. The old codger looks at me and says“$10, and it’s sold As Isâ€. I tried to conceal the glee that was trying to rush to my face. Sometimes I’m good at that, other times not so good, but this time I stifled it. I rushed home with the thing, hooked it up to my truck radio and you would’ve thought I had just bought the world’s best audio system. See? I told you it doesn’t take much to make me happy!

Well, I’m back to my book titled “Crime And Punishment†and it has evolved into quite an interesting novel. An interesting observation was made by one of the characters in the book: If you had to choose between dying instantly, or standing on a rock the size of both your feet, in the middle of a lake, for the rest of your life, you would choose standing on the rock. In my entire life, I have only know two people (to my knowledge) that chose death over life. One has passed away and the other ask for death each day. I would choose the rock, with the hope of, somehow, figuring a way out of that situation. If I were told there was no escaping the rock, I guess I would prefer to chose the time of my demise and not the instant death thingy. Boy! I sure hope that book doesn’t get me started off on another tangent.

I had the garage door open the other day watching it rain. The downpour was persistent and lasted for 10-15 minutes. The temperature was in the 90’s, the air was so thick you could see traces of smoke arise from the pavement. All of a sudden, I had a flashback to being a boy of 8or 9 in Page Coal Camp in the mountains of Southwest Virginia. I remembered having summer storms like these and all the kids dashing out into the rain playing gleefully, standing under roof downspouts, giggling all the time. You see, we didn’t have air conditioning then and this was the only way we had of cooling off. The rain would eventually end and we would all stand around looking like drenched rats and regretting that it had stopped. Ah! How simple the times were when rain could entertain children, renew their spirits and make them feel good about life. If I could step back in time, would I go there for awhile? You betcha!
I hope you’re enjoying whatever season it is in your part of the world. Thanks for reading my monthly missive.