On Recovery

I've been having a rough time in the mornings lately, and it's all Charles Gibson's fault.

For nearly twenty years, at 7:00 AM, I switched on Good Morning, America in the bedroom and den and got ready to face the day. Charles Gibson's voice provided counterpoint to the morning rituals of breakfast and shower. I liked Joan Lunden, Diane Sawyer and Robin Roberts, but my heart belonged to Charlie. I trusted him to give me the straight scoop in a no-nonsense, caring fashion.

When Gibson abandoned GMA in late June, I didn't realize how much his departure would affect me. It started in sneaky little ways. I'd sleep fifteen minutes later--then thirty minutes--and finally an hour. I starting going straight to my study, turning on the computer and beginning to work without taking my shower and dressing. Before I knew it, it was 10:00 AM, and I was still in my nightgown. I started staying up much later at night, too, going to bed at 2:00 AM instead of midnight.

I was suffering from Charlie Gibson withdrawal.

I am now in recovery. Yesterday morning, after twenty years of loyalty to ABC, I switched the station to NBC--a move that I would have scorned while Katie Couric was on board. Her cute perkiness early in the morning irritated the hell out of me. Now that she is safely tucked away on CBS, I'm willing to take a gamble on Meredith Viera. Matt Lauer is the Joan Lunden of morning news for me. I'm there for Meredith and, as long as he isn't too obnoxious, we'll get along fine.

But it was really hard to get out of bed at 6:55 yesterday morning and today. I have to keep reminding myself to take it one day at a time.

Both mornings I've had to switch the television off at 8:15 when the hard news focus abruptly ended, and the saccharine level threatened to swamp me. That's okay. As I write this, NPR is playing in the background, a safety line I can cling to in emergencies.

It remains to be seen whether I can make the transition from Gibson addiction to Viera recovery.

Stay tuned . . .