There must be other people who thrive on getting out of bed and seeing the sunrise. I just don't happen to know them but my own enthusiasm is all that I need. Getting up confirms that I'm still breathing and have survived one more night, but it's a lot more than that.
First off it's a new day. The sun is rising in a slightly different spot than it did yesterday. Someone somewhere around the world has done something interesting that I've yet to learn.
Some of the world best writers have had another night to craft some words that might either delight me, infuriate me, or even inspire me to write something of my own. I might even meet someone new and interesting during the next few hours.
Most importantly to this self-confessed weather junkie somewhere the weather has changed and maybe even dramatically. It might be the same where I'm at, but someplace there is something interesting happening because the weather never stays the same. I track the weather in places I have visited and lived from Fairbanks, Alaska to Halifax, Nova Scotia. Recent places where we had or still have roots like Roanoke, Virginia and Cape Carteret, North Carolina are even more interesting to me. I also watch over the weather where close friends and family live. Maybe it is a strange hobby, but for a few minutes each morning, I lose my self in the weather. It is also useful since weather is one of the universal ice breakers when two strangers meet. People understand hot and cold and they like to share their weather stories.
As I rode across the Highway 58 bridge this October 24, 2006 morning and I snapped the post picture, the outside thermometer was reading thirty seven degrees Fahrenheit which is not far off the record low for the date of thirty six degrees for the Cape Carteret-Emerald Isle area. It is almost history in the making even if it is just weather history.
Perhaps eleven years of farming helped establish an interest in weather and a habit of getting up early, but I can remember many mornings not wanting to take that long hike to the barn to milk our Guernsey, Rosie, before I started the regular chores involved in taking care of 200 head of beef cattle. Taking a little hike at twenty below zero is not a very attractive option when you're in a warm bed. However, when you are a farmer, the weather is never far from your thoughts. The weather has it arms around you and often plans your daily calendar for you. When you work the land, the weather is critically important.
My addiction to news also helps with my early morning energy. I've always been hooked on reading the morning newspapers even when I was in elementary school. Before I tackle the day I read articles from my favorite papers around the world. Now it is on the Internet but the news is still the same.
Actually I believe getting up early in the morning is directly tied to your happiness level. If you're happy about your life and where it is headed, you don't want to miss a minute of it. We have such a short time to enjoy life, that spending it in bed just isn't in my character. Don't take that to be an anti-nap statement since I love a good nap or two.
Getting up to watch the sun creep up over the pines is part of what makes me who I am and I'll keep doing it as long as I can. The good news is that if you live where there are tall pines, it takes a while for the sun to make it over them and you can sleep in just a little.
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