Coming out of the Closet

People are surprised when I tell them that I belong to the most despised class of people in our society.

I don't look the part: I'm a WEM (White Eurpoean Male) and a WASP (White Anglo-Saxon Protestant).

But, truth be told, (And I'm coming out of the closet here), I am...

...a MORNING PERSON

So why do I say that MPs are a despised class of people?

Unless you're a morning person you don't know what it's like to walk into the office early on Monday morning with a smile on your face and feeling all upbeat---only to be crushed by the glares you receive from the caffeine-glazed eyes of others.

IT is hard for morning people to stay culturally relevant.  Take office humor, for example.  People are talking about the jokes coming from the Tonight show or other late-night talk shows, which happen late at night.  (I assume they happen late at night, anyway, I have never actually watched any of those shows.)

And if it's not the humor, people are always talking about TV programs that sound like good, exciting shows.  But they all air after 9 pm.  That's my bedtime!  Fortunately, in these days of streaming and various on-line viewing platforms, these shows are now accessible to the night people.

The discrimination in our society is rampant.  If you want to go hear some good music you often have to go to a NIGHT club.  Even if the establishment doesn't label itself as a night club, if you go to a bar or a concert venue, the good music doesn't start until after 9 pm.  So our musician friends perceive us as not liking their music or perhaps not liking them because we never show up at any of their gigs.  Sorry.  It's not personal.  But they would probably like it less if I did show up and then fell asleep.

Then there are things like happy hour.  I'm all for happy hour from 4-6, but why PM?
(By the way, if you ever go to a happy hour, people don't look very happy, which makes me wonder if some of them aren't closet orning people.)

We also get misunderstood.  If I invite someone to a meeting at 5 am, they should take it as a compliment because I'm giving them the best time of my day.  (My motto is that if there is something important to be done it should be done by 7 am.)  But people don't seem to take it that way.  If I were to make such a suggestion, people look at me as if I'm either a villain or insane.

I admit that sometimes, to maintain friendships, I have to keep my identity as a morning person secret and I will pretend to not be a morning person and stay up past 9 pm.

I think we need to reverse some stereotypes.  I think of the proverbial hero, riding off into the sunset.  What kind of ending to the story is that?  For all we know, he's going to lay back against a cactus somewhere and fall asleep.  I think stories  should end with the hero riding off into the sunrise.    The sun is up.  Embrace the day.