A time to talk: You can say a lot in 10 years

Mary Magee

guest columnist

As my fellow columnists have pointed out, this summer marks the 10th anniversary of our column, “A Time To Talk.”

My connection to The Peninsula Gateway began when I attended a writers’ meeting in the spring 1998 where I met the editor. He asked us to submit articles for the paper.

Immediately, my creativity kicked into overdrive and I wrote a piece about the beauty of Madrona trees. When the Gateway published it in May, I was thrilled to see it printed beneath a picture of a golden Madrona.

In the meantime, my friend Kathy O’Brien and another writer, Joanne Haffly, were separately discussing the notion of a regular column with the Gateway. When the powers that be decided to start a rotating column that summer, I was asked to join the group.

I felt very lucky. The opportunity fulfilled a desire I’d had ever since I was old enough to read a newspaper. The opinions of columnists always fascinated me, and I wondered if I could write in a similar fashion.

The column has given me a place for self-expression and allowed me to give something back to a community that I’ve grown to love since moving here 18 years ago. I’ve always tried to write from a personal perspective while evoking universal themes that resonate with readers. Being a human being is quite a journey; we are certainly all in this together.

Here is a sample of topics I’ve written about over the years: The magic of camping trips; the ups and downs of air travel; navigating an Oregon trip during summer fires; sailing on our friends’ nifty Thunderbird; the joy of childhood Christmas memories; the beauty of changing seasons; the meaning of wedding anniversaries; scary memories of life-threatening yet redemptive boating incidents; profiles of founding community members; humor and love in my marriage; the crazy world of skateboarding; the bittersweet feeling to let go of old cars; Eminem’s depraved rap music; my embarrassment about my unused treadmill; the valuable messages in the Harry Potter books about friendship and fearlessness; our endearing Old English Sheepdog; the loss of a beloved tabby cat; bicycling joys and trials; the horror of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks; memories of the old Narrows bridge; reasserting patriotism with a new song; critiquing movies; surviving house remodeling; offering methods for helping the needy; finding a new exercise routine; the anxiety and rewards of dressing up for a formal wedding; our son’s wrestling thrills and spills; honoring veterans in our community and at the new WWII monument in Washington, D.C.; committing to jury duty; joking about the history of White House pooches; the challenge of the college search; describing art exhibits; admitting addictions to certain TV shows; surviving our son’s senior year; describing trips to Mexico and Hawaii; laughing about scams; sharing my empty-nesting pain; stepping into political volunteering; celebrating the opening of our friends’ wine shop; bemoaning one presidential impeachment and wishing for another; attending the opening ceremonies of the state Legislature; calling for media reform; caring for an aging parent; listening to jazz in Montana; documenting my reactions to the Democratic presidential primary process; and applauding Barack Obama.

None of these columns would have been in the paper without the blessings of the publishers and the efforts of the staff at the Gateway, including the many talented managing editors and Lifestyles coordinators I’ve had the opportunity to work with over the years.

Feedback from readers, whether in person or through e-mail, has always been greatly appreciated.

I look forward to more time to talk in the future!

Reach Mary Magee at marymagee@harbornet.com.