Turning the page
A little over 20 years ago, I accepted a job at the Inter Lake. To think a gal from the Midwest with a fine arts degree in creative writing and a professional background in bookselling could wind up with a career as community editor for a Northwest Montana newspaper surprises me in the best way — but here I am. Somewhat remarkably, at least in my mind, I’ve sat at the same desk the entirety of my career. I’ve been privileged enough to work alongside many talented editors and reporters, many who cut their journalistic chops here early in their careers.
Now, it’s my turn to turn a new page. As of Dec. 3 I will be officially retired, and join my husband in a new chapter of our lives.
In these 20 years as the Inter Lake’s community editor, I’ve met hundreds of folks in our valley, shared your own and your children’s successes, and helped you get your community news and events, engagements, marriages, anniversaries, and your loved ones’ obituaries in the paper. I feel honored for the trust you’ve placed in me to help you in both happy and sad times.
I’ve also been privileged to listen to and retell your stories. We’ve talked on the phone, in the office, and I’ve been invited into your homes and workplaces. Thank you for your graciousness, your kindness and your generosity.
Hired August 2002, I began writing the Good News column in 2003. Lord only knows how I managed to come up with enough topics. For many years, the Good News column was a repository for your stories. Many of you shared with me the good news in your lives — maybe the care you received during a stay at the hospital, a stranger who lent you a hand, or being reunited with a beloved lost pet.
In my first six years the Good News column was published weekly. That adds up to a lot of conversations, letters and emails with a lot of folks, both local and those passing through the Flathead. My column then went bi-weekly. In 2018, I began writing a much more subjective Good News column, confessing my foibles and celebrating life’s little victories with our readers. I’ve written with joy, sorrow, and always sincerity, about just about anything I can think of to keep this keyboard clicking, with the humble hope my readers have enjoyed the greater portion.
I’ll be honest. Coming up with roughly 676 columns in 20 years has had its headbanging moments. But I did it and have had, astonishingly, a great time doing it.
Not surprisingly, I’ve been asked a lot lately about what I’m going to do in retirement. And I’ve been tempted to just reply “Live the dream” or, as in Napoleon Dynamite’s line from the movie by the same title, “Whatever I feel like I want to do. Gosh!”
But with a little reflection I’ve come up with a list of goals, some concrete, some vague. For one, I’ve got a couple of online birding courses and an astronomy/telescope course burning holes in my laptop. I’m also ridiculously overdue on a couple craft/woodworking projects I would like to finally finish. And I have stacks of unread books.
On a larger scale, my husband and I would like to remodel the west “wing” of the home we designed ourselves 30 years ago, built both on a tight budget and, literally, on a handshake with our builder who gave us the latitude to put in as much sweat equity as we saw fit ... and we put in plenty. We’d like to have it landscaped properly, with low maintenance in mind. We’d also like to expand and finally permanently fence in our garden so we can once again plant the vegetables the deer would otherwise consume, right down to the jalapenos. And naturally, we just want to spend more time together. I also plan to keep biking, kayaking and hiking. As per Tom Petty, “If you don’t run you rust.”
For now, I’ll leave with the words of Mahatma Gandhi, which I hope to live by in the years to come: “Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.”
May you be blessed abundantly this season and in the coming years and wake up each morning knowing you are loved … for there is no greater gift.
Community editor Carol Marino may be reached at 406-758-4440 or community@dailyinterlake.com.
Editor’s Note: The public is invited to stop by the Inter Lake office Dec. 2 from 3-5 p.m. to visit with Carol, enjoy refreshments and join us in wishing her well in retirement.