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Today, I am unemployed for the first time in my adult life. Since college, I& #39;ve had five journalism jobs, and I& #39;ve never taken time off between, even though most positions involved moves. I love being a reporter so much that I& #39;ve always felt lucky to get paid to write.
I don& #39;t know what comes next but I& #39;m trying to figure that out. I know I want to stay in journalism, if at all possible, and I would love to stay in Northeast Ohio. But I also know I may have to move, even though that breaks my heart. I was born in Northeast Ohio; this is home.
For the past month, I& #39;ve been working nonstop covering coronavirus and trying to protect my Guild brothers and sisters. I haven& #39;t taken a moment to pause and think about what comes next. Up until Friday, hours before I was laid off, I was filing stories on coronavirus.
To be honest, I don& #39;t know how to take a break. My life makes sense when it is full of color-coded schedules and goals. Even though your job isn& #39;t your identity; I am a journalist. I don& #39;t know how to not be one. I love telling the stories of my community.
For now, I& #39;m creating a list of stories I would write, if I still had an outlet. I& #39;m looking for freelance opportunities so I can use my experience covering the coronavirus pandemic to continue to inform the community right now. And I& #39;m trying to make a plan for my future.
A number of people have suggested launching a nonprofit newsroom in Northeast Ohio, and I& #39;m willing to do the work to make that happen. So, stay tuned. And let me know if you& #39;re interested in helping.
I& #39;m also going to try to take moments to breathe, to exercise and to be grateful. More people than I ever could have imagined have reached out to show support of me and of my former colleagues. That means something. And I want to take a pause to fully appreciate that. Thank you.
