About keeping busy — from myself, perhaps

First responders have more or less kept me occupied within the past week. This is along with covering two meetings in Cloverdale and a crepe breakfast at Area 30.

There was the gas leak that occurred on North Indiana Street in Greencastle last Friday afternoon. Then came the porch light fire at a residence in Cloverdale Sunday morning. (I was basically still in my pajamas for that one.) Then there was my quick turnaround for the rollover on County Road 650 West near Reelsville last Monday.

The two-vehicle wreck on U.S. 231 South late Thursday morning is, so far, the most recent incident. Semper paratus. I'm well-ready for another one, even if it's at 4 a.m.

Call me nuts, but working wrecks in the rain and with traffic jams both ways can be fun, even if stressful all the same. I ultimately like getting dirty and being up close. A little good-natured rubbing from the Greencastle firefighters goes a long way, too. The adrenaline kicks in so much that I only think about being on the scene as the Banner.

Behind it all, though, is a sense of duty or a purpose to what I do as a reporter. Along with this also comes an awareness of a responsibility, and also perhaps even power.

There is a sense of power in racing down the wrong side of the road to get to a scene. There's knowing I have a job to do while at that scene. However, I tend to think that if anyone doesn't realize I'm even there, or really doesn't care, then I am doing my job. The most important thing for me in any of these situations is to never get in the way.

As to the sense of duty and purpose, this is where I could bare myself out a little bit.

I will be honest, this job can feel lonely at times. What I'll infer by this is that stories just don't churn constantly, diligent though we try to be. Anticipating something will happen is the hardest part. This applies to life and means outside the newsroom, too.

And yes, I've always said, and will still say, that there is never a dull moment being a local journalist. Sometimes the best stories come out of being surprise ones. As I've pointed to consistently in this blog, it is our connections which make what we do possible. However, it's up to us to take the initiative when we can and get out there.

Whenever I hear those sirens, or when I see on Paul's Scanner that there has been a bad wreck or fire, I have a purpose. I have a duty. A question I've now considered is whether there's a point when this takes over. At what point comes coming undone?

I can't try to answer that question here, even for myself. All I know is that when the time comes, I'll get after it. Keeping busy is doing my best to serve this community.