Saying Good-bye Means Writing One Last Column

Farewell. Adios. Ciao. Adieu.

It’s time to put Another View to bed.

My first column appeared in a local paper in 1998 — a decade ago. I wrote a piece about my mother’s hands as a way to heal from her death months earlier. The editor of the paper called it “Community Soapbox” since I wasn’t a regular contributor.

But that first column changed things for me. The change occurred when someone told me that reading my column had helped her mourn her own parent who had died years before.
Most people think of writers as complicated characters, but we really aren’t. A kind word here, a compliment there, a note of acknowledgement — those things hook most of us to the task. Hearing that my words helped someone other than myself, astonished me. And pushed me to do it again.

And I did — for the next 10 years. Soon after the first column, the editor asked for another one, and Another View was born. After publication in several papers and magazines, it has finally come to rest here at Tower Publications.

I won’t say I’ll never write a column again, but for now the journey has ended, and I put Another View to rest for a long respite.

I will miss this column as I would miss any trusted friend. It has never let me down and has served me well over the years. I hope it has served others as well. Looking over my past columns provides me with a gauge of my life — tragedies, triumphs and passions all combined into several chapters of my life from 1998 to 2008.

I wrote about my mother, father, ex-husband, daughter, brothers, cars, pets and friends. I managed to do it without making enemies (I think), and along the way I healed some deep wounds. Some columns may have been about one thing on the surface, but held another meaning for me underneath. I wrote about the sea hatchling I escorted to the ocean, but I was really writing about my own daughter’s departure from Florida when she moved to Oregon in 2006.

I’ve also made some friends along the way who enjoyed the column and wrote or called me to let me know. Because some of life’s events are universal experiences, we found more in common. And acquaintances became closer friends because of the column as well.

But now with a new, challenging job in Tallahassee and work on a new novel, I find I do not have the time to devote to my old friend, Another View. I would rather go out with a few awards freshly presented for this column and let it rest with accolades. It is always best to end something while on top before the pendulum swings and creates havoc.

For several years I worked for Tower Publications in Gainesville while living in St. Augustine. I could do that because I had lived in Alachua County for 25 years. Then when I moved to Tallahassee, I continued writing articles and Another View for Tower. Recently I have discovered I can no longer keep one foot back in my old place while trying to stand straight in the new. I used to thrive on multi-tasking, but now I want to become a part of a new community.

I still come back and visit the many friends I have made over the years, but I believe the readers of Tower’s publications will be better served by a writer who lives among them and knows firsthand about the community. My knowledge of it comes from others now and that is as it should be.

So long and thank you. It’s been a great journey.
Patricia Behnke is an editor and writer.
She may be contacted at patricia@towerpublications.com.

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