National Public Radio just turned 50. I listen locally on WFAE in Charlotte where one of my favorite writers Tommy Tomlinson contributes. (Check out his podcast, Southbound, if you’re into that kind of thing.)
The publicity surrounding NPR’s anniversary is full of anecdotes about how they made something from nothing. All while covering the news, which included the country’s largest antiwar protest taking place outside their door. (If you haven’t done the math yet, this was 1971.)
When you’re in the middle of pandemonium, it’s hard to see
your way out. But here they are fifty years later, chuckling about how far they’ve
come.
We can’t judge something on the first day, good or bad.
We're surveying logistical matters—how things work or figuring out how they
are going to work. We come back the next day and give it another go, with what
we learned on day one tucked in our back pocket.
Did anyone have a horrible first day of school? The situation
can be complex as you determine where to sit at lunch and calculate the shortest distance from the
gym to your locker. Although I don’t recall a specific first day, I definitely remember
the feeling. I loved the excitement of seeing everyone after summer break. New
teachers, old friends, and books. I waited with anticipation to dig into the pages...until
the homework came. (I’m the kind of person who likes the thought of a thing
more than the actual doing of it.) By Friday I may have found myself asking
when the first teacher workday is—especially since I would have already gone
through my new school clothes.
How many of you dressed up on the first day? I think I wore
a dress every first day until sixth grade when it became dorky. It probably was dorky before that, but my mother would never let me wear pants on the first day
of school. (To any 5th graders out there: parents often give up in
middle school. Hang on.)
Now, job first days I remember. (You knew I was going there.) With just as much excitement but fewer books--and sometimes a dress--I couldn't wait to get in the door.
On another first day, the internet went down and
the toilet backed up. The thing is, I was the boss, so I had to make everything right. I didn’t know much about leadership, but I knew that on no planet would I NOT clean
up that bathroom. I may have even called out to the Lord that day, kneeling on the cold tile.
What was critical to me during those rough “firsts”—and probably is to most of you—was having someone say, “keep going, you can do this.” Susan
Stamberg’s boss told her to be herself. He had hired her for a reason, which
included her voice. That’s all it took for her to relax into her new role.
I’m grateful for precious words of encouragement. But
there isn’t always someone around to lift you up like that. When the manager
sent me home from Bojangles’ my mother’s words may have been more like the
less-than-precious “get back there, don’t lose this job!”
That’s why sometimes we have to encourage ourselves. We need to remember why we're there in the first place. Teeth clenched, we'll draw on whatever energy we have
to keep moving forward, no matter how small the steps. Let's give it a try the
next time we're navigating a new challenge. You with me?
Until then, “keep going, you can do this.”
Thanks for reading.
(Check out NPR's favorite songs from 1971; there are several gems.)
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