I'm coming up on the 15th anniversary of this column, and if you aren't shocked by that, then know that I definitely am.
Take note that this is the longest I've ever done anything in my career. All I ever wanted to do was be a journalist, and I've been blessed to cover some significant stories over the years, from political conventions to space shuttle launches. I've interviewed every governor in Georgia since George Busbee, and I've covered every election since 1980.
I've just done them in different jobs. I spent almost 15 years as a reporter in Middle Georgia, working for two different newspapers. I was at Georgia College for six years, editor of The Times for nearly a decade and I'm approaching my seventh anniversary at WDUN.
The column has survived since 2006, first at The Times, now at AccessWDUN. It also runs weekly in my hometown newspaper, The Early County News.
So the fact that I've done one thing for 15 years is shocking, made even more shocking by the fact that 15 years translates to nearly 800 columns, give or take a few weeks over the years when I was on vacation, on assignment or just didn't want to write one.
I'm grateful for each of you reading this column right now. But I suspect you're shocked I've come up with 800 ideas, too. Often, after people tell me they read my column every week, they follow it up with a question.
“How in the world do you come up with this stuff?”
I always assume they mean, “Your columns are so witty and insightful.” As opposed to “What kind of lunatic writes this crap every week?”
Anyway, it’s a legitimate question. But it’s not easy to answer.
The most likely source of column fodder comes from spending time and conversing with friends and family. Often something someone says – even if it's just one sentence – can be enough to spur my creative juices.
Still, my friends are on to the fact that I may turn something they say or do into a column, and now, without fail, when one of them says something funny or profound, they immediately turn and look in my direction.
"I don't want to read about this in your column," they'll say.
"Too bad," I tell them. "I need 600 words a week, and I'll take whatever motivates me."
The best source of column material, though, has been my springer spaniels. Glory was already 8 when I started writing the column, but she provided much material. And Milly, the current liver and white springer spaniel who lives at my house, has been with me since she was 6 weeks old, and I even let her take over from time to time.
I once worried that I wrote too much about Glory and Milly. But once, after giving a speech at a local civic club, a man came up to me and told me he enjoyed my talk about journalism.
"But I really hoped you'd talk about Glory," he told me.
In fact, the most popular column – or at least the one that got the most attention – was when I wrote about having to put Glory down. I got dozens of calls and letters from fans of the column.
So thank you for reading all these years. Here's to another 15.
But only if I can come up with 800 more ideas.
