The Morning Rises


I have always been an early riser. I used to set my alarm as a teenager to get up to deliver my papers and start the water for the places that I took care of. I would clean the old church early in the morning. It seems I have always enjoyed early mornings. I would set my alarm for high school, but I was always up to deliver papers long before it was time for the alarm to go off. I would set the alarm when I was a student at the BYU to get up even though many of my classes were later in the day. When I was teaching in the classroom, I was always there by 6:45 am, and when I was in administration, I was always there by 6:30 am. I ran the river for many years and was up at around 5:30 to get the boats pumped up and start breakfast.
Carl James Stubbs on the Colorado River in
 Cataract Canyon wearing Tour West shirt  
I love the early mornings and the coolness and usually clear skies. I loved the river and the ability to get up stretch and face the early morning cool breeze coming up the river. It seemed that there was always a light breeze coming mostly from downstream. It was a glorious time to wake up and be alive. Later in the day was not as glorious; it was downright hot. I never had a watch or alarm on the river. I just woke up when it was time.
My early morning now will find me at the Recreation Center, swimming. It helps me to get my joints moving, even though I may not really be exercising. Joy says I really am exercising. I swim laps and get my body to move. Again, I never set the alarm. I do have a clock but only use it to glance at and see if it is really time to get up and go to the bathroom. That is another joy of growing old.
My dreams are all pretty fun. Joy and I have had many adventures in my dreams. We have traveled all over the world as well as many repeat trips to locations in Nevada and Utah that we really have been to in real life. My dreams are often a lot more fun than real life. They are always peaceful and enjoyable. I am really grateful that I have such good peaceful dreams.
As I get older, I have been accused of being a grumpy old man. It is not so much grumpy as it is that people just don’t do what I want them to do. It is harder for me to hear what people are saying and possibly harder for me to be heard. It is frustrating, and sometimes I feel like I need to put a boundary of blue tape around my chair to keep people away.
I have a hard time going places now. I have hay fever and different allergies. We have a good home with air conditioning which helps with the allergies. It is harder to leave the house now because of that and the fact that I don’t always know what is going on around me. The Alzheimer’s disease that I have is very frustrating. Everything will be just fine, and then I hear in my head a bunch of horrible words. I don’t express them, but they are there and I heard them. I don’t understand, but I am told it is part of the disease becoming more prevalent in my mind.
I do love my family and everyone in it, and most of the time my mind is at peace, and early morning is still a beautiful time for me. Sometimes I hold my wife and drain energy from her. She says it doesn’t take from her, but it does give it to me.   

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