I know I posted about the conference I was away at this week, and how excited I was for this opportunity for more guidance to develop my leadership potential in this newsroom in a column a few weeks ago.
I also have to thank the community. I did some work ahead on some pieces to make the time away tenable, and had interviews via emails on at least one more, seeing as my 9 a.m. to roughly 7 p.m. block for Wednesday and Thursday was utterly devoted to this event, and the usual half day on Friday. That’s three days I wasn’t here in the community generating stories as I developed some skills for this job moving forward. I tried making up for that with some additional work Saturday, but I’m one person.
Visiting a district in Ankeny that I’ve not visited before was also a true delight. I got to eat at some quality restaurants, but also have a few nights to take in the ambience of a different community. And realize some of what I loved about that Trails Community, is some of the same things I have in MV – unique boutiques, active events in the community and very great walkability. I got the chance to try my first Cold Stone Creamery dessert.
I also got reminded of this fact – I loathe driving on Interstate 80. Nothing against the drivers who frequent the road, but I counted three separate instances of having to revert to defensive driving in order to not get myself injured while driving, mostly because of semis. The one near Grinnell was where I decided “It may be time to stop off for lunch before Ankeny,” and that one was mostly a semi reacting to someone cutting rapidly across two lanes of traffic to get to the Grinnell exit, and his swerving into the lane as I attempted to pass and me realizing a few seconds later what just happened in front of me…
Of course, I was on Interstate 80 as opposed to the more leisurely Hwy. 30 I used to return to Mount Vernon because my first meeting on Wednesday morning was in Iowa City interviewing a new intern who will be assisting with coverage for our newspaper this summer, and working alongside sister publication the Solon Economist. He will be writing his own column introducing himself to the community.
Friday’s drive home was mostly uneventful, but after a solid three days of introvert being very much “on” as he discussed his struggles currently and focused on what strengths he has and can better develop, this editor was definitely tired, even if it was a break from these communities.