I was born with the soul of an artist and the eyes of a writer. Often times people ask me why I am not a painter, or a musician, or a dancer.
Tonight, after a long day and evening, I can explain my career choice: a writer publishing online daily news in 7 local towns.
The Jefferson Awards, which occur from coast to coast, are a wonderful event where volunteers and people or organizations with community minded vision are honored.
As a volunteer, I support this wonderful notion: that anyone doing good deeds should sometimes be applauded.
Since I love getting to know people - and especially people I write about in my articles and feature stories - it does afford me a pretty expansive view of humanity.
Sure, we have the violent or negative people who must grace these pages, too often for my taste. But then - more often than not - I have the great pleasure of sharing good news, about wonderful people who do positive things for the simple reason of giving back to their community.
Tonight, I was mesmerized by 25 such forces of nature, who gave their all to better our communities. Though it is too late for me to do justice to these local heroes now, I would like to tell you that there is truly a spirit of volunteerism and joy that lives among us, right in plain sight.
They are the teachers and the full-time workers who spend weekends and hundreds of hours organizing fundraisers; offering free medical services to those in need; educating the public about human trafficking and so much more. All around us, acts of volunteerism and caring are keeping our towns safe and helping many.
On the way home tonight I got a close up glimpse of what makes our small towns thrive. Nutley commissioner Steve Rogers, who kindly drove us to the awards, suddenly stopped the cart and jumped out. A boy of 5 or 6 was crying, and his left foot was trapped inside the bike pedal. The small crowd of people did not know what to do, and had a tool kit out.
Rogers immediately told them not to do anything, since they little boy's foot or ankle could be broken or break if they pushed it too hard.
With one hand on his cell phone he called the Nutley EMS and police, and with the other he whipped out his badge to calm down the boy.
Within 2 minutes, the police and ambulance arrived, and the little boy was laughing.
Most writers I know are quiet. I know I don't fit into that mold.
Why I am not a painter is clear.
Many of the people I get to interview and understand and discover jump off my digital pages and right into my heart. They inspire me;
thrill me; encourage me and most of all, keep me believing that humanity on the whole is good and pure and positive.
The Jefferson Awards recognize volunteers.
Though the world of publishing and newspapers is under great stress, there are many local stories that deserve to be told - and require your attention.
Kudos to the Star Ledger for supporting such a wonderful event, year after year.
And to all my readers, I wish for you even a tiny bit of the magical experience I have every day, covering our world.
Such a job is a much more than a career, but also quite an honor. We all need to support our local newspapers. In order to protect our very freedoms, we must remember that journalism serves a vital purpose to our very existence.
As these 25 honorees were applauded tonight, I couldn't help wondering: without our newspapers, would anyone care?
Now go buy the Star Ledger today. Let them know we need them.
Read my feature story in a day or two, and remember: those little acts of kindness keep us human and connected. And this newspaper - all newspapers - keep you informed.
