The Pros and Cons of being a small town news reporter from a big city

As most who know me know, I’m from Seattle. Bright lights, big city, people, skyscrapers, noise, action, lots going on. And in Seattle, if you’re not in an urban mood, a 20-minute drive will get you to the base of a mountain, at a ferry terminal or some other naturally beautiful place.

Sigh. Do I miss it? YES, OF COURSE I MISS IT, WHY WOULD I NOT MISS IT?

But.

Linton. This little town halfway across the country, with no Five Guys, no mountains, no ferris wheels sitting at waterfront markets. No Thai restaurants, no Chinatown, no enormous concrete troll clutching a full-size Volkswagen beetle under the Fremont bridge. Sigh again.

But wait.

Goose Pond Fish and Wildlife Area. Tulip Trestle. Solsberry. Humphrey’s Park during the holidays.

Fall Arts Festival. Music Fest (R.I.P.) Markle’s Music. Dyer’s Clothing. Freedom Festival.

Rediscover Downtown Linton. Fourth of July. Redbird State Recreation Area.

Six of one, half-dozen of another, right?

Here, I am more of a big fish in a small pond, as opposed to one of thousands of fish in a much more expansive pond.

Before taking on the title of STAFF WRITER, I worked one form of retail or another, so I saw lots of people every day. Let me amend that. I waited on lots of people, every day. As a reporter, I not only see people, I get to listen to their stories, and then write them down, preserving who they are, in that moment, forever.

No matter the person I am interviewing or the subject I’m researching, I am fully engaged, using the skillset I love the most.

I’ve been saying that ‘I don’t work,’ lately.

Meaning that what I do is what I love, and that’s just not work.

As a retail manager, yeah, I learned a lot, but was any of it important, relevant, was I making a difference? Not really........I was a square peg trying to make myself fit into a round hole.

Things are so much different, now that I have found my square opening. A perfect fit I never thought I would find. Took me long enough :-) but hey, I’m here now.

One of the coolest things about this ‘job’ of mine is the people I meet.

Mostly, my politics and worldviews absolutely do not match those of my fellow citizens. Big deal, so we talk about other things.

I think you learn the most from those you have the least in common with, and I’m always ready to hear somebody talk about their life, especially anyone over the age of 70. Living history, and I get PAID to listen, summarize and tell you their stories!

WHAT.

Pinch me, right?

Not only that, but I work with a truly amazing group of people. In this office you will find word nerds, game nerds, Star Wars nerds, crafting nerds, and your basic assorted nerds. They won’t be offended by these words, it’s cool to be a nerd here. I have found my people.

My ‘desk mate,’ Jon Swaby, is simply delightful to work across from.

From day one, he has been helpful, never losing his patience when I asked the same questions thousands of times. He’s taught me a lot, and we joke that we share a brain sometimes because we have the exact same sense of humor. That gets quite weird sometimes, as I’m sure you can imagine. We couldn’t be more different as people, as far as our ideologies, our hobbies, our upbringing, our fashion sense. But we like the same music and we find the same things funny. It’s awesome.

Now, do not go thinking it’s any sort of attraction boy/girl thing, because it’s not and never has been. We just work very well together, and I appreciate him very much, just ask his wife April or any member of his beautiful family. I love them all, actually.

Now, lets move across the room to Andrew Christman. This guy. We tease him endlessly, and he can take an incredible amount of it. He’s that guy who grows on you, and is mostly a joy to be around.

When we tape Greene Gab together, we play off of each other very well. He’s a twenty-something kid, I’m a fifty-something woman, but we both love to learn new things, think puns are hilarious, and silly holidays RULE.

Across the room, there is quiet little Kelly. As the months go by, she opens up by degrees, from a really quiet and seemingly reserved girl into a smart and engaging, animal-loving woman.

Over in the sports department, we have Terry and Other-Andrew. Terry is a very good sportswriter, I could never do what he does. He can always be counted on for a funny story.

Other-Andrew is the other-sportswriter, and he is always in the same mood, pleasant.

He never fails to wish me a good evening when I leave, and he and Terry are great to work with.

Now, turn around and you will see Sabrina’s office.

This hard-working editor has the respect of the entire newsroom, as she can and has out worked us all.

She is first with praise when I’ve done well, and first with solutions when I’m stymied with a story. I love and respect her more than any other boss I’ve had. We all strive for excellence with Sabrina at the wheel.

At this point, I would like to put a bookmark in it, because this column is getting pretty long but I have more to say, so look for the rest next week.

Before I go, allow me to say a GIANT ENORMOUS THANK-YOU to a reader from Bloomfield, who read my column about participating in this year’s Polar Plunge for Greene County Special Olympics, and sent me a check for $100!!!!!!

I don’t know whether or not she would want to be identified, so I’ll take the respectful route and leave her name out. She knows who she is, and now she knows how much this touched me and how grateful I am. That $100 will help our Special Olympics athletes in so many ways, thank you so much!

Talk to ya next week, readers.