Today was a good day.
I got to work and was told I had to go cover the opening of the athlete's village for the Coeur d'Alene Ironman( a world renowned event).
"ugh." I thought.
I go check it out and it's a huge ordeal with circus tents, video boards, thousands of people, new car and trucks on platforms, and other intimidating stuff.
I walked around it 3 times, sat on a bench and thought about how much I didn't want to walk up to complete strangers and ask them what they thought about the spectacle... about how much I didn't want to track down the person in charge. I contemplated leaving and secretly packing my things to run away.
I thought about how I didn't want to be a journalist. About how I'd waisted my college career studying something that I didn't want to pursue professionally.
Then I grew a pair, said "fuck it" and started talking to people about everything. Not just the "village" but about ironman races and the mentality required to run a marathon, swim 3 miles and bike 112 in one day.
Then I got back to the office with 10 pages of scribble, AKA "notes" and again, became overwhelmed.
But I got in the zone and wrote-- if I may say-- a pretty damn good article full of vivid descriptions and subtle humor.
"Good," I though. " I'm done for the day."
Wrong.
My boss brings me a press release about the local police arresting and jailing the wrong Martha Williams. I had to get on the horn and call the police, county sheriff dept, county courts, local jail, prosecutors, attorneys, store-owners, and family member of the wrongly-arrested and write a story lickety-split. AND argue with a local police Sgt. until she released the mug-shot to me so the paper could run it.
It turned out good. I was done by 4 p.m. People in the office gave me props and I left early to wash my car.
If I meet my future wife tonight my confidence will balloon to epic proportions.
wish me luck.
-rye
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1 comment:
This is truly an inspiring story Ryan. I was struck with these very same emotions late last week. After gathering up my buckets, sponges and cleaners I entered the Kindergarten building. It was a blistering 96 degrees outside and the walk over from Erbin Hall nearly sapped every bit of my strength. I set my tools down on the tile floor and took a seat on the stairs. I don't really have a "boss" in the traditional sense, but there is a little man inside my head that guilts me into working. On this particular day he told me, "you need to get this floor done today, you need to work an actual eight hours for once."
I too wanted to runaway. A year-and-a-half out of college and I'm still scrubbing walls, toiling away with the mop. I wanted to cry. But then I remembered the motivation behind my college career. How I planned to mesh my profession with the analytic and comparative skills I learned as a student of history. To author a survey study appropriately titled, Contemporary History through the Eyes of a Janitor. I was rejuvenated, staring my fate square in the eye I filled my bucket and went to work. I flipped on the radio and tuned in the 'Oldies' station. It's funny how 80's music is the new 'Oldies.' But as soon as the needle landed that frequency I found further encouragement, Survivor's "Eye of the Tiger" came blaring through the speakers, this was followed by that Kenny Logins song from 'Top Gun.' It seemed as though God himself was speaking to me, sending me these subtle messages, urging me to persevere. Needless to say I finished the Kindergarten that day. Lesson learned: always take pride in what you do.
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