Me = OK

I went to a training session with a Star Tribune writer yesterday. It was awesome to say the least. I'm really excited about my profession and improving myself, growing as a writer again.

Many, many notable things happened, as my loving husband can attest. But the most significant is that at the end of the nearly 7 hours of training, I talked to him briefly to tell him how much I appreciated/was inspired by the training session. I told him I really wanted to keep improving as a journalist. He then said something to me that totally caught me off guard and that I took as a HUGE compliment, considering his stature as a writer.

He said:

"You are going to be OK."

After that part the whirling universe and the tears I was choking on (yes, I teared up) prevented me from hearing/remembering the rest. But it was something to the effect that he could tell from the comments I'd made during the class that I was going to make it as a journalist.

I interpreted it to mean that he saw abilities in me and that I will be able to keep improving as a journalist. With obvious tears in my voice and eyes, I told him thank you and left the room.

By his few words he calmed me of perhaps one of my biggest professional fears, and/or the fear of many journalists/people. That this is as good as it will get, I will never move beyond this, as much as I want to. Honestly I’ve been feeling very burned out and slightly discouraged lately and the training session and his comments to me afterwards have really made me glad I am a journalist.

This experience may not seem like a big deal, but to me it was electrifying. Imagine if somebody who has "succeeded" in your field and done things you don't dare dream of achieving told you that he/she saw something worth mentioning.

Here insert cliché. I will never, as long as I live, forget those words. “You are going to be OK.”