A consultant for the ages

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October 15, 2012

A consultant for the ages

By JIM HARDIN Herald-Banner Staff The Zope Gazette Mon Oct 15, 2012, 03:48 PM CDT

ROYSE CITY — There are a million stories out there, and I want to tell every one of them. But there are days that I have no idea how I’m going to fill this space.

Now that I’ve said that, let me assure you that I will never make a contribution to this space just to fill the space. That’s the reason I sometimes agonize over my topic of the week. This is one of those weeks.

I went to bed last night thinking about a topic or two. Yep, I had a few dreams during the night about what I should do. Then, I awoke bright and early, still smack dab in the middle of indecision.

Smack dab in the middle of indecision is not a place I like to be on deadline morning. Then, somewhere in the dark of morning this very day, it hit me. No, I didn’t bump into something as I tried to find my way across the kitchen in darkness, but I had a brilliant idea of what I could do. I could tell you about what I go through on a weekly basis to write this column.

First of all — and I’ve written about this — this is what I call my recreational writing.

I write many news stories about city government, county government, school districts, crime, etc. I’ve got to cover those events whether I want to or not. What a reporter goes through in the performance of his news writing responsibility is the reason they call this, “work.“

But so far, what I write about in this space is my choice. Never in the three years I’ve been writing this column has anybody said, “Jim, write this. Jim, write that. Jim, don’t write this or that.”

I appreciate that freedom. I believe that’s one reason I agonize over my topic of the week. If you have freedom, you also have responsibility. I don’t ever want to take that freedom — or any freedom — for granted.

Recreational writing? Yes. Most of the time I actually have fun telling a story for this space.

Somewhere in my first contributions, I told you that I want to make readers smile or, better yet, laugh. Later, I added cry to a possible impact of what I write about. And then, finally, I wrote that I want to encourage people.

I don’t try to accomplish everything in a single column, but if I do, I have a prizewinner.

For the most part, I write about the events of life. And I’ve found out that if I have a certain event in my life, a reader or two will be able to identify with that event. I want readers to be entertained and/or encouraged by my description of those events. Many times, though, I will hear from a reader and I am the one who is encouraged bigtime. Thanks.

As you have discovered, I write a lot about wife Becky and dog Gracie. For some reason, my passion for running also finds its way in many of my contributions.

But my favorite person to write about is me.

The “me” columns are the entertaining ones, I believe, because I can do some silly things and most of the time I enjoy telling everyone about them. Well, most of the time, anyway.

I’ve never revealed this, but I have a consultant. I will ask her advice.

Is this too silly? Should I reveal this about myself? Do you understand what I’m trying to say? She always gives me the correct and truthful answer.

My consultant? Of course, it’s wife Becky.

I read every column to her before it’s submitted for publication. And she always gives me her honest opinion.

Almost every week, she will say, “Jim, that’s the best column you’ve ever written.”

I love my consultant, my adviser, my wife

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A consultant for the ages

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