Gratitude and Homework

There’s a line in the movie Patton that I always try to remember to keep things in perspective (it helps that I’ve seen it a couple of dozen times) Patton is complaining to Gen. Bradley about allowing him to fight when he realized he’s crossed the line and says, “I have a lot of faults Brad. But ingratitude isn’t one of them. I owe you a lot.” And almost four decades into a broadcasting career, there are a lot of people I am thankful for that have given me the opportunity. I owe you a lot.

When I was a freshman in college I accidentally strolled into a radio studio and I basically never left. It wasn’t a fait accompli until a few years later. I wanted to be a writer, a journalist who made a difference. But the biggest roadblock on my literary journey was the simple fact that I dread the writing process. But I do love having written. And I did receive encouragement from editors at a couple of newspapers I worked for and the chance to intern at a big city daily. Frankly, I just lack the discipline to sit down and write. I think it’s probably too much like homework. Never a fan, I always found something more amusing to do at home other than work.

Enter radio. Stumble out of college and jump around the dial for a couple of decades in a couple of towns and find myself here, today, still yammering on all these years later. And you have allowed me to do that and for that, I am eternally grateful. Owners, bosses, co-workers, engineers, advertisers and listeners have given me the opportunity every day to try to make the start of your day a little easier. Mom, who was never a regular listener, would ask me “Do they still like you?”  “They seem to,” I would reply. At the very least they saved me from doing what I’m doing right now, sweating out some more homework. I feel much better now that it’s done. Thank you.