Saturday circa 1969

I wake up just before 5:00AM everyday to begin my commute. I’ve always been a “morning” person (not that I’m chipper in the morning, but I don’t have any problems getting up. Chipper people in the morning have a chemical imbalance and need to seek immediate medical attention), so getting to the office early has never been an issue. I remember always getting-up early (except for when I was a teenager, then I couldn’t possibly get enough sleep), and I think it started when I was around five-years-old… it was a Saturday… 5:00AM.

I would wake-up at some unholy hour and immediately make my way into the living room (with blanket and pillows in tow) and begin my Saturday morning ritual. It started by turning on the television – this was key. There was always a very possible chance that static and an un-viewable image would compromise the entire mission (I never knew if this was due to a utilities issues or a bill paying issue – but no matter) and I would have to go back to bed. If all was well, I would begin the construction of the comfort fort. It was the precise piling of pillows and blankets to create a structure that (unbeknownst to me at the time) would end up remarkably resembling a womb. I would then scurry into the kitchen, where I would collect a carton of milk, a box of pre-FDA certified children’s cereal (the good stuff without any vitamins or iron) and a large salad bowl. These items would be combined to craft the feast that would sustain me for the next 4 hours as I would gaze into the glowing void of flickering lights. The assembly of my fortification usually took place during a cartoon called (as I recall) “Tom of T.H.U.M.B.”. It wasn’t one of my favorites, so my undivided attention was not required. My complete concentration was used during the viewing of “The Perils of Penelope Pitstop”, “Pink Panther” and of course “Bugs Bunny”. During this 4 hour ritual – I was unable to communicate or sense anyone in my surroundings. I didn’t realize it then, but I was culturing an ability that would serve me well as an adult. I was learning how to “tune out” my surroundings. This early developed ability would serve me well as an adult, through inhospitable military conditions, pointless business meetings and countless relationships.

The flipside to tuning out background noise is the ability to give 100% attention to whatever it is you are paying attention to. This also has served me well, and allows me to remember that if I find myself wandering the desert I’ll remember that 100% of all cactus fruit are edible, but not confuse that with the cactus plant (fleshy part) that might be poisonous. Some cactus fruit (although edible) might cause hallucinations – which would make tomorrows blog all that more interesting.