At a conference today, I bumped into two fellow journalists I haven't seen since we were all in college, writing for The Michigan Daily in the Sixties. The decades have passed quickly; one spent them becoming a star at NPR, another becoming a star writer at The New York Times (she's recently been teaching), and the third, me, has had a patchwork career, not with one company but with many.
Yesterday and today I also talked with lots of people I've known over the years, most of whom I've spent little time with in recent times. These are fellow journalists, and the reason I have rarely seen them for a while is I have been doing other work than traditional journalism.
Recently, however, I'm feeling drawn to returning to my roots, professionally,and in the process reconnect with a community that is probably far larger and more supportive than I realize.
A half dozen younger reporters came up to me over these two days to thank me for launching their careers. I haven't seen any of them since working with them, eight to 15 years ago.
The problem with a life like mine, broken up into multiple parts that shift every year or two, is that living in a seismic zone of changing roles and organizations prevents me from maintaining very much consistency among the people in my world.
If I can find a way back into the ecosystem where I spent the majority of my working years, maybe some of the alienation and dislocation I've felt lately will dissipate. The trick, of course, is precisely where in that journalistic ecosystem is a place for me?
That's what I'm on the search for.
-30-
P.S. Tomorrow is my birthday.
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