Many thoughts occur to me Monday night as I drive home from Mankato contemplating the conclusion of the girls’ basketball game–and season.
I chatted with Karen Jacobson briefly after the game. I accidentally referred to Erin Jacobson as Anna, and was corrected that Anna is her sister. Perhaps my misstatement is understandable given that Anna and I were classmates, graduating from NRHEG in 2016.
Then I got to thinking. I attended school with the VanMaldeghems’ brother, Hunter. He was also a member of that class. Sidney Schultz’s older sister graduated with my sister. And then there was Erin’s sister, Anna. Small town living is rich with coincidence.
A couple people asked me how I’m still conscious after the state tournament this past weekend. I left for the capital Friday morning, stayed the night, and did not return until just shy of midnight on Saturday. With the exception of regular bodily functions such as sleeping and eating, I have not stopped working since I got in my car last Friday morning.
Sunday was spent writing: It felt as if hours passed every time I blinked. As I write, I take a brief breather between stories, but the time I spend writing flies. I don’t take any notice of the time spent on each story until it’s done. As I finished story number…I don’t know, five?...I sighed. Not because I was sad or tired, but because it was after midnight and the day had proven to have too few hours. Monday, I put together the Golden Link Shopper and spent the majority of the day preparing this newspaper for print. I couldn’t write because the paper had to be gotten ready. So, here I am, after the girls’ game, writing some more.
Oh, so a few people asked how I do it. For example, on the front page this week is Annabelle, a state champion. Matt, her uncle, has quickly become one of my best friends. I know Patrick, another uncle. And Daniel. Everyone knows Danny. And I’ve called Isabelle a hundred times to ask her to advertise in the newspaper. She speaks fondly of Annabelle, often. Over the summer, Annabelle worked for Radio Link internet and answered the phone a few times. I failed to tell the two of them apart the first time. That was a little comical.
And Makota. I coached him in junior high baseball. He’s a great young man. Also, Makota put in extra time studying with Matthew Petsinger, so I heard about that, too, during the fall.
And Coach Larson. Shawn was my baseball coach in junior high baseball and an assistant on varsity, in addition to JV coach. He’s the coach I could talk into not taking me off the mound when I was pitching. On my all-time list of favorite coaches, he’s right up there. I almost forgot, he was also my sixth-grade teacher. My favorite memories from that year include Larson’s trash can wars with Aaron Seath. And fantasy football. Oh, and beating Larson at chess. One more memory, Larson would catch me reading during his math class and make me put my book away.
Perhaps it’s clear now: I put all these hours in because I care about all these people. Also, it’s a lot of fun. When it comes right down to it, I don’t see my job as a “job.” It’s really much more a privilege. I feel honored working for and with all of these great people.
Thank you.
P.S. Yes, I’m tired. Yes, my thumbs have felt a dull pain from typing for three days. No, I don’t mind one bit; it’s worth it.
“The time in your life can go by in the blink of an eye, so look for what lasts a lifetime.”
― J.R. Rim, Better to be Able to Love Than to be Loveable