JIM “PAPPY” MOORE: Early Bird Catches the Worm
By Jim “Pappy” Moore
I can confirm that the early bird catches the worm. I see them do it. When I take my walk at daybreak through the Piney Woods, birds sit perched above, looking intently for their breakfast. When they see a worm or something bigger, they swoop down, grab the unwilling breakfast participant, and fly back to their perch. There is one winner and one loser in that early morning feeding scenario.
“The early bird catches the worm” is a saying which has maintained its currency in the language my entire life. It’s a great saying because it makes clear the value of getting up early and hitting the ground running. It lets us know that there is reward for getting a jump start on our endeavors.
Throughout our life, we see that those who prepare, ready themselves, and get about their tasks tend to finish them earlier and better. By doing so, they better provide for themselves and their families. They compete for jobs, for grades, for accolades, for spouses, and for positions.
“Getting out of the gate” is another term we use to applaud those who get a fast start to their ventures. It refers to races where a gate is used to allow competitors to start their race. Typically, horses and their riders are the literal objects of the “getting out of the gate” comments. In other applications, it refers to those who are ready, prepared, and launch on their tasks, gaining a competitive advantage over others.
The fabled Benjamin Franklin – author, statesman, inventor and extraordinary American Patriot – coined the phrase “early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.” His face has its place on our hundred-dollar bill, and that says something about his place in American folk lore. He was a giant among men in Colonial and early American times.
Ben Franklin advocated getting to bed early and getting up early. I have often had to get up early in my life, but it is not something I did with great glee. I had a job in high school which required me to be up well before dawn and be on the job at 5:30 a.m. I did not enjoy getting up with the chickens to do that job, but I did enjoy the money I made doing so. I was “getting the worm” before the early bird could see to do so.
In the military, they were not reluctant to get us up at 4:00 a.m., well before daylight. Having a work day that started at or before 6:00 a.m. was often the norm. The military knows a bit about getting things done, and getting an early start.
These days I get up early because that’s the cool time of the day. It’s also the quiet time of the day. It is enjoyable to see the bounty of East Texas and its nature before the sun comes up, but as the sun begins to light the morning sky. The brilliant orange of the rising sun is a wonderful time to be up, to be walking, and to be alive in this great region of ours.
Copyright Jim “Pappy” Moore, 2024. All rights reserved.
