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A surprise life lesson

MaryAnne Turner
The Commuter

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

After 19 long hours and over 1,000 miles, I was happy to be on my feet. The buildings were huge, and the air was tainted with smog. Everything looked a faded, dingy sand color that was only beautified by palm trees. I remember looking up at the buildings, holding a kink in my neck and thinking, “is that really necessary?” We checked into our hotel and went for a walk before the first boring speech (that almost put us to sleep). The center of this hotel was a man-made oasis. Tall palm trees surrounded the Egyptian temple-like architecture. Rushing water filled the senses with moisture and a sense of cleanliness under the half-assed shade of the smog-covered city. Birds of paradise grew under fig trees, and a hammock by the pool said to me, “this is paradise.” It’s not often you get a sunburn in February, or get on the wrong train and end up almost in Tijuana. The journalism convention was supposed to open up ideas, and provoke a better paper. After a few sessions I realized that we have something good going with our team. One thing that does happen often is learning a lesson where you never expected. The best part of the whole trip was getting to know my team. I just hate that it is so close to the end of it all. The most important part of working in a stressful, deadline-pregnant industry is getting to know your team. You have to establish almost a family-like environment, or you’ll never be able to fully understand and help each other out. Through experience we learn life lessons that are crucial to social survival and our own emotional well-being. Sometimes the truth will really hurt someone, and sometimes you have to take the chance. The truth will always set you free. Even when the truth will break someone’s heart, you have to think of the lies that ensue when you just don’t speak. I guess I was there to learn about communication, and to my surprise, the lesson was in San Diego, just not at a convention discussion. I spoke my mind, and the truth has set me free. The lesson learned: communication is the key to freedom.

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