I received a typed note in the mail this week, no return address, no signature. What does this tell me? That the person does not wholeheartedly believe what they say. They want to give their opinion, but lack the strength to put their name on it. They are weak and so must lash out in anger.
The letter, which I have attached hereto as a photo, refers to a column I wrote about the Port Huron Float Down back in August, so it took the writer this long to actually get up the guts to mail it. Since that Float down post I have have written two other columns, one about St. Clair, but that evades this person’s knowledge. Why? Because they aren’t paying attention, they are simply lashing out. 
For those of you who may not know, I am an opinion columnist. I give my opinion on whatever subject I choose. I do not write editorials, I am not a journalist. The person I criticized in my opinion column posted a Facebook post on his own page that was at least three paragraphs long.
I normally don’t respond to comments about my column, but people were criticizing me as not being a professional journalist – and I’m not. They accused me of calling that person names, such as idiot, which I had not….other people had in their posts. The column I wrote had over 837 shares on Facebook alone, so it pretty good circulation and a lot of comments supportive to my opinion, negative on the other person, who happens to be a public figure/city mayor.
Even at that I would not have even known about the post if it were not for the fact that people, including the mayor’s wife, tagged me in their comments. I did respond, pointing out that I am not a journalist or editorialist, I am an opinion columnist. I gave them the link to the article where the mayor had been interviewed, and pointed out that my opinion column specifically referenced the other article. It is those facts that this writer is so angry about. They are so angry they have not been able to move past it.
So the letter has given me a good laugh. Why? Because I have moved on from that column and post. This person has not. I enjoy writing about controversial subjects because it gets people thinking, creates an interchange of opinions, it engages the mind. That column achieved my goal. The Mayor’s Facebook page had comments going on it for an entire day about the subject, and now several weeks later the writer of this letter has their mind still tied up in it, whereas I have moved on.
I do feel sorry for the writer of the letter though, because they lack the confidence and self-worth to put enough value on their own opinion to sign their name, yet they continue to stew in their anger. That means my column achieved its ultimate goal. The subject matter has stayed in the mind of at least one person and has them thinking about it.
As for me, I’m contemplating what the next item of interest will be. I do love getting peoples minds thinking.
So, now that I am over the hill and rolling down it toward 60 I need to keep a positive focus and concentrate on fully utilizing the young gene. My hair can turn gray…there are people that purposely put grey in their hair for accent. I can gradually switch over to glasses if needed, after all young people wear fun and trendy glasses all the time. I will regain mobility after my ankle fusion and should be back to normal by late next spring. Most importantly, I refuse to grow old. Old is a state of mind, and my mind is not going there.
In trying to clean things out and prepare for a yard sale this weekend when walking through my home it is difficult to determine if things are better or worse then they were a week, month, or year ago. I’m in that messy time when things appear worse even though they are getting better.
I’m bringing things up from the basement and pricing them for garage sale, then stacking the boxes under a table in my TV room. I am preparing to put a desk into the garage sale and bring a different desk into it’s spot. To do that I had to empty out other furniture and items in the landing and the scrapbooking room itself to allow space for the exchange to take place.
--- LIFE IS A MELTING POT --- Grace Grogan...Writer, Photographer 