The hearts sprawled across the large picture window in our home are still hanging. It was a fun, crafty project with the boys last March when the COVID-19 pandemic started and we jumped on the band wagon of the “Happy Hearts Movement.”
We just hadn’t gotten around to taking them down.
Our lives are typically bustling and somewhat hurried, but the pandemic slowed us down. That, and being home more often was, quite possibly, one of the best things for us. It also made me realize the importance of my being at home a little more often.
By the time this paper is delivered, I’ll be done as the editor of the Times, and leaving is one of the hardest decisions I’ve made in my career.
Being the editor of this newspaper has been my dream job. After graduating from college, I wasn’t sure I would even be able to work in the field of journalism simply because of geography. I remember my college professor telling us that getting jobs wouldn’t be hard as long as we were willing to move. But my soon-to-be husband at the time always wanted to stay close to home, and after we started having children, being near family became especially important.
When it was time for an internship, I called up The Monroe Times and they accepted me on the spot. The editor at the time was thrilled to have a local person and put me under the wing of the Lafayette County Bureau Chief. The paper was very different then, and my boss was harsh. She taught me there was no room for mistakes in this sink-or-swim job. It was just what I needed to start this crazy career.
From there I jumped around a bit, gleaning a name for myself enough that I was able to work from home for a while as a freelance writer while my three boys were babies and toddlers. It seemed like the best of both worlds. One of the projects I took on was a column for this paper called “Moments in Time,” something I loved, and continued weekly for years.
I never really imagined I would return to the Monroe Times completely, but that’s exactly what happened three years ago. It was a different paper than I remembered, and I had a lot to learn. But I’m most proud of what I think I brought to this paper, and what I’ll leave behind.
Our subscribers have seen a lot of change, driven largely by the industry’s economic circumstances. In the midst of it, however, the goal was always to build a connection between the newspaper and the community. We’ve become a local, community-based, bi-weekly newspaper while also preserving high-quality local journalism. We were named the Best Newspaper in Wisconsin in our category for our work 2018 and have taken home dozens of awards. I certainly cannot take the credit; I have had such talented coworkers.
I will miss this community and its people — even the cranky ones. Working with people in finding and telling the truth built a trust between us, and it never went unnoticed or unappreciated. I will miss the readers. So many of you have called me to tell me what you’ve liked, or what you’ve disliked. You’ve given me news tips and compliments and criticism. Some of us have even become friends. I’ll miss your insight, your patience and your loyalty.
I will miss Monroe the most. This community has brought me joy since I was young. It was the “big city” for a girl who grew up on a farm in rural Gratiot, and this was the “big time newspaper.” The more I learn about it and the more people I meet, the more I fall in love with it. I am so happy and proud to have been able to lead it, if only for a short time.
And as they often do, things will change again.
I could go on about all of the negative ways the pandemic has impacted myself and the world. But alongside those, it has made me reassess some things in my life and make changes that work better for what’s most important. I’ll still be writing, but in a new way for a different company that will allow for more time at home.
As we geared up to pull down the hearts once meant to bring a bright spot to others during the pandemic, they’ve done that, and more. They made me realize I had something to learn, and I don’t want to miss the lesson before it’s too late.
As they came down from the window, one by one, we realized the hearts weren’t as pretty as when we hung them. The edges were curled, and their colors were sun stained, lacking the vibrancy they once portrayed to passersby.
But after a while, without them, the window seemed a little brighter and clearer. It was simply time for them to go.
— Emily Massingill is the editor of the Monroe Times until Oct. 2. If you’d like to keep in touch with her, she can be reached at bemassingill@yahoo.com.
