Helping Hands for Other Lands
Months ago, my regular working routine every single day would leave me feeling beaten, baffled, and just plain bedraggled at the end of each month, and now, I feel buoyed, boisterous, and, yes, truly blissful all the time.
In October I decided as many reporters do to step away from working on the craft of creating content full-time and went on over to an office job instead. I was nervous in the lead-up to it and questioned whether I was leaving a space I still felt I could do some good things in too soon but, when one has bills to pay one cannot be picky and so it has been the case I am now in philanthropy. It is fun, frantic, and where I will probably work until I retire.
Those who have known me or read anything I have written over multiple years may be shocked to hear that, but it is truly where I am at. Working with refugees fuels an intellectual fire, is a welcome palate cleanse from a space that now exists to fill the pockets of fat and foolish executives, and reminds one of life if a store sold fireworks, candy, and puppies and let employees win the lottery daily. For the first time in a long time, I am very happy and feel I am doing things that will be great for the immediate and longer-term health of my Wisconsin community.
It is wonderful when one of my clients from Afghanistan gets a job, car, and driver’s license after years of challenges and tells me he could not have done so without my help. It is incredible to see another from Congo advance in her career after so many years of intense conflict raging around her and when the children who are here do great in school and easily learn the English language it nearly compels me to dance like a complete fool.
So, I will continue and will try to write some, but cannot honestly say if my love for what I see and experience each day now will make this sort of thing seem numb. I recommend it heartily to any other reporters who are considering exiting the business or dialing back their freelance output and find my heart filled with so much joy about what is in store for me in the months and years to come as more people arrive and make a home here.
What a drastic change from my rough earlier years huh?
Evan J. Pretzer 