Early Riser
Charlie Earl
Throughout
my event-filled life, I have been an early riser. After all these years I’m
still trying to ascertain if it’s a curse or a blessing to arise before dawn. My
dairy-farming parents were responsible for placing me on this path. Milk cows
prefer consistency, and the Earl dairy operation had the milking machines
running by 5:30am every day, 365 days per year. The pre-sunrise trend continued
when I did my undergraduate schooling at the College of Wooster (C.o.W.---get
it?). While there I used a marketable skill to pay my way through school by
milking cows at the Ohio Agricultural Research Development Center (OARDC). We
milked our Holsteins and Jerseys at 2:30am and 2:30pm allowing me to attend
classes after the morning shift and return for the afternoon gig. It was a
moooooving experience.
When my
family and I moved to Virginia so I could attend grad school at UVa, I got a
job as an all-night radio D.J. to supplement my meager pay as a graduate
teaching assistant. My shift began at 11:00pm and ended at 5:30am when the
morning show began. So…I found myself awake early every day as I prepared for
my morning teaching assignments and late afternoon graduate courses. My
sleeping time was limited to early afternoons and weekends.
My first
full-time radio job was in Findlay, Ohio, following my Virginia stint. As the
Farm Director for the two Findlay stations, I continued to awaken early so that
I could tape my FM programming prior to my first AM appearance at 6:07 in the
morning. Short nights were commonplace again as the Ag Director’s role involved
attending numerous banquets and meetings throughout the listening area. It was
while at Findlay that I was offered a job to manage a nearby station. I
accepted, and my family and I relocated to Ottawa, Ohio, where I assumed
General Manager and Morning Host duties.
As the
manager of a 24-hour radio station, I developed the habit of having the radio
on all night so that I would be aware of what my over-night staff was doing. I
arose early and arrived at the station by 5:30am to begin my 6:00-10:00am
morning shift followed by sales calls and other managerial functions throughout
the day. In the fall and winter months I would close out the day by
broadcasting football or basketball games as the play-by-play announcer.
Weekends included more games, remote broadcasts at sponsors’ businesses and
live broadcasts from polka festivals, fairs and other such community
activities. I was growing older, and the long days and short nights began to
take a toll. I noticed that the wick on my life-line candle was growing shorter
because of its being burnt from both ends.
Even today I
sleep with the radio on and rise early in the morning. My cold reluctant feet
usually drop to the floor between 4:30 and 6:00am….generally 5:15-5:30. I enjoy
my first cup of strong black coffee (don’t tell my cardiologist or my Mormon
friends), let the dog outside and gaze at our property looking for anomalies.
Nature and the ravages of growing older contribute to my willingness to rise
early. When Nature calls, one must respond. This semi-autobiographical column
isn’t intended to provide you with more insight about my daily habits. It is a
very personal illustration of how we become unintentional creatures of habit
and routine.
There may be
some intervening circumstances that cause us to alter our habitual rites, but
we will either revert to the old ways or form new ceremonies when the crisis
has passed. We prefer our comfort zones even when there are no logical or
purposeful reasons for maintaining them. It is this weakness that allows big
government to lull us into complacency as it ravages our property and destroys
our liberty. The time has passed for us to break the habit and pursue freedom.
For those who fear the chaos of anarchy, remember our tendencies for routine
and order. Anarchy will be a mere blip in our social reconstruction, but
tyranny will endure if we do not break the mold.
Charlie Earl
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