Comfort Level Zero...Or Not

The meltdown that I felt from the assignment associated with interviewing Dean Callahan ranked right up there to the distress I felt right after an unfavorable conference with one of my administrators.








My heart was in my stomach and my stomach was churning at an amazing evolutionary speed.   Fighting back tears, I attempted to do the impossible, write an article about an interview that was at times barely audible from the area where I was seated.






Prepared with my camera, I walked in feeling confident; however, my knees were rubbery when I attempted to walk out.  What did he say?  Why was he talking so quickly?  Why was he moving around so much?




Every time that I focused my camera, he turned his head.  Needless to say, quite a few pictures were deleted because I was not taking or focusing my camera to my advantage.


As I sat in the midst of my meltdown watching people "barf it out: around me, I felt so empty.  I was totally barfless.  I reviewed my sporadic notes and realized that I had become the poster child for not internalizing the message.


Despair not!  The glass is, after all, half full.  I was surrounded by amazing women who provided much needed support and advice.  While I did not complete the assignment to the point of satisfaction, I learned some very valuable lessons.


I am still in the process of learning, and this is okay.  Meltdowns are unnecessary roadblocks to success.  Deep breaths are helpful and calming.  The best way to learn is by doing.  I am capable and passionate about journalism; therefore, I need to be patient.


At the end of the day, today was more than a good day.  I learned a lot from Dean Callahan, but I learned a lot more about myself.

Cynthia Brown
Woodland High School
Stockbridge, Georgia