February 4, 2013: Snooze



I love the snooze button. It's my guilty pleasure. One might accuse me of being lazy. I disagree. I simply enjoy snoozing my morning wake up call. I know when I need to get up and then set my alarm accordingly so I can time pushing snooze (more than once) before physically getting out of bed. It gives me happiness. The perfect way to start my day; in full control of my alarm clock.

This little morning ritual is at it's worst in the cold of winter. My warm, cozy bed is such a safe respite from the touch of the cold floor and chill in the air outside my down comforter. My kids share my sentiments. Their winter mornings too are filled with "just five more minutes" in the comfort of their beds.

As a child, I didn't have an alarm clock. My mom would wake me up. As is the case now, I hated to get out of my warm bed to face the cold. Growing up, we had floor vents that heated our house in the dead of winter. My brothers and I would fight for the vents closest to the kitchen. A blanket would be tented over the vents as a cozy halfway rest before breakfast. This was my childhood version of a snooze.

Although Mom always worried about the blanket catching fire, she would let me enjoy this little pleasure while she cooked my hot breakfast. I would snooze in my self-made heat tent while smelling the sausage cook and listening to Mom's radio play in the background. Along with the local news, the sound of Paul Harvey's voice often filled the kitchen. His "Rest of the Story" would keep me partially awake while I listened for the climax in his storytelling.

Last night as the now-famous Dodge ad filled our screen with Paul's distinctive voice in the background, I am sure Mom teared up as I did thinking of these fond memories. Paul's voice represented trust and gave an eloquent representation of life. He represented all that was good in America and the honor of an honest man.

Thirty-five years ago, the lull of the radio and warmth of my heated reprieve no doubt started my love for a "few extra minutes".   Now my snooze just includes a pesky cat nestling her sixteen pound body into mine and kids asking me for five more minutes. I wonder what they would think if I introduced them to Paul Harvey in the morning? I bet I can find him on Pandora...


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