Why is This STILL So Hard?
Posted by Randy Hawthorne
Starting something new, especially with a group of highly regarded individuals, is overwhelming. I don’t know how I feel about being the second in the lineup while this publication is still setting tone?
So, to gain inspiration for my first post I decided to head over to the blog, 5 Women Mayhem, that inspired ours. With permission and encouragement of the five women, 8 Angles was born.
I first read JoAnne Young’s post this week about the demolition of the Journal Star building. I’m a local history geek so posts of this nature conger a range of emotions about the ever-changing Lincoln skyline.
This particular change to our skyline is equally exciting and bittersweet. Almost every time coming home from a longer trip, descending the viaduct and seeing the Journal Star sign indicated to me that I was home and all was good with the world. In a way this change also speaks to my concern of having a local media presence, as thoughtful, local news is a cornerstone of democracy. I’m hopeful that we’ll find a sustainable way to deliver on this.
I wanted to go back to their beginning to see how their tone was set. I landed on an early post by Marilyn Moore. Her words, as hers often do, resonated with me. She certainly captured how I remember feeling in the early days of, what she calls, The Great Upheaval. Sadly, her words still express my feelings.
I’m still managing my change. I’m still in a fog.
Putting ricocheting thoughts in a blog post can be even more difficult than my worst writer’s block. We’ve all had a lot of time to think. Some thoughts I’ve had through all of this include my resolve for creating a community of belonging, managing our way out of the nosedive of divisiveness and aforementioned media evolution.
I digress. I’ll save those thoughts for future posts.
Fortunately, the New York Times gave me a diagnosis for my fog: I’m languishing. So once you can name it, you can manage it, right? Well, some days.
But the truth is we’re always managing change. Just not this abruptly. I’ve read that this is a time to redesign your life.
No pressure.
As we always do, we all need grace and to give each other grace more than ever.
As Marilyn shared what Mary Jo Pipher told her ten-year-old, I echo it as well. I need to remember how strong we are.
