By Abe Villarreal

I've been waking up at 5:15 a.m. since July. Yes, it sounds crazy and I would never thought of doing it myself until I realized the benefits of getting up before dawn.

The world is quiet at this time. You can hear the trees moving with the breeze. Cats are finishing up their night of scavenging and adventure. The faucet is leaking. Drip, drip, drip.

At this time in the morning, even if you don't mean to, you notice everything. Maybe it's just me, but being awake at this time is a good thing.

The most important people in the world wake up before dawn. Moms wake up, not because they want to, but the world is calling them, with loud cries and really cute tears.

Bakery people wake up this early too. They get up to deliver the morning bread. The fresh-baked smell is irresistible. You've got to get yourself a piece but you'll miss out if you wake up too late.

City workers are up before most of us. They are wiping away our leftovers. The things we dropped on sidewalks and the debris collected at street corners. We need them and they wake up early just for us.

News people are up before we ever think of rising. They are writing what they think we should know. Maybe they never go to sleep. We can't afford to miss out on the important world happenings, or the funnies we often just catch at a glance.

Service people are up at all times of the day and night. The police, firemen, nurses and doctors. To them, getting up early can happen at anytime, without much notice. They lose sleep so we can have as much as we desire.

If you think about it, this all makes sense. The time at which we wake up makes a difference. Without moms getting up on time, kids would be a little grumpier. Bakers sacrifice for your appetite; street cleaners are making sure you have a pleasant morning drive.

For a writer, there is nothing more satisfying than knowing you picked up your morning paper, and in little time, you became a little smarter, and a little happier.

And for that sacred group of people, the one that sees no difference in sunlight or moonlight. The group that always keeps an eye open so that we can be out in the world feeling safe and secure. To all the service people out there, I say thank you.

Waking up early is a good thing.

Abe Villarreal is the Director of Communications at Western New Mexico University. When not on campus, he enjoys writing about his observations on marketing, life, people and American traditions.