Newspapers and coffee....mmmmm

Today my newspaper wasn't on the steps by 7 A.M., nor was it there yesterday. I tried to be understanding, so I waited until almost 8 to call the circulation department. The department was obviously closed, so I punched all the right numbers in answer to the automated questions. The newspaper arrived 30 minutes later. OK, so what happened?

My thinking is that since newspapers are becoming obsolete, newspaper carriers are also. Gone, I suppose, are the days when boys or girls could deliver newspapers on their bikes and get paid enough to save up for a car. There still must be an anonymous person who delivers the paper; I just don't see him or her. Right?

There was a time when I was way too busy with the morning ritual of getting everyone taken care of and out the door for school, that I didn't have but a minute to scan the paper while I drank a cup of coffee. I also confess that getting myself out of bed to do all the weekday tasks was difficult. Being a life-long insomniac, caused me to over-sleep many a morning! At any rate, the newspaper went unread some days and I never gave it  a thought.

Now, I can't seem to make myself stay asleep past six thirty or seven o'clock, so I look forward to the leisurely reading of the paper with my steaming mug of coffee. Here's the rub; Now that I have the time, the newspaper has been reduced to a mere shadow of its former self and reading it doesn't require much time at all. Isn't that just the way? I guess I could not renew the subscription and join the gazillions who now get all their news via the Internet, but clicking and typing isn't the same as getting your fingers all smudged-up with newsprint. Don't get me wrong; I love the Internet and my laptop, but please don't take away my newspaper!

Reading has been my salvation for many years. When I was little, my parents were frustrated with my inability to put myself to sleep. In other words, I was wound up all the time. At least that's what my mother said about me. I saw it differently. I just wasn't tired and needed to settle down before sleeping. By the time I had learned to read, weekly trips with my mother to the library were a treat. We'd check out stacks of books and I would read myself to sleep every night. By the time I was a young teenager, I was reading the newspaper every morning with my grandfather. He also introduced my to coffee, but that's another story. Books, newspapers, cereal boxes, recipes.. .. I read everything. In other words; Reading is a vital part of who I am, not just what I like to do.

So, back to the newspaper problem. Will the daily newspaper go the way of transistor radios? I for one hope not. My mornings would never be the same. Now, if I could just get the reading to burn more calories; I'd be thin.