A big change. Here's why I made it.
Change is not always easy. I just made a big one. 8,122 days ago I began my Iowa television career in Des Moines at WHO TV (the station calls itself “WHO 13” now). That’s more than 22 years if you don’t want to do the math. That also means that I have lived in Iowa longer than the state in which I grew up (Illinois) and nearly four times longer than the two other, shorter stints combined (Missouri and Alabama).
This picture with my daughter, Lyla, reminded me of the years that have passed since my move to Iowa. Since I hadn’t been on TV for a few weeks in June, I took a break from shaving. I haven’t had a beard since graduate school at the University of Missouri-Columbia. Although, I don’t seem to remember so many “highlights” on my chin during my Mizzou days! Lyla loves it, though. That’s good enough for me.
That new color in my beard is just one of the recent changes, albeit far less significant than my career decision. Leaving the only job that I’ve known during my time in Iowa has been a long, gut-grinding decision. Some of my closest friends in Iowa work there. It’s the place that I know and hopefully a place where I’ve done good work.
My colleagues and I have shared so many significant events: caucuses, elections, the 9/11 terrorist attacks, a worldwide health pandemic, marches for racial justice, years as a “blue/purple/red political state,” Supreme Court decisions, derechos, blizzards, droughts, tornadoes and ownership changes. There have been so many memorable days. And, yes, some forgettable ones, too.
But the times that I will remember most won’t be the story that ended up on television that night. They will be the conversations that I had along the way. Some came with future presidents. In 2007, I talked with Barack Obama about child birth while we drove on his campaign bus several days before his historic Iowa Caucus win. In 2015, I sat on stage at DMACC in Newton with Donald Trump as he leaned forward and asked me privately what the audience had talked about before his late arrival.
I’ve talked with Kim Reynolds, Linda Upmeyer, Cindy Axne, Abby Finkenauer and Joni Ernst about becoming the first women to hold their respective office. I’ve spoken with Chuck Grassley, Tom Harkin, Terry Branstad, Mike Fitzgerald and Tom Miller about their remarkable longevity.
Those conversations really stand out in my mind. But others do even more so. They are the talks that I’ve had with photographers on road trips. A photojournalist and reporter work closely all day long on a story. Sometimes we travel out of state and We plan the interviews, the specific video shots, the locations for those shots and, eventually, the images and audio that we will include in the final story. Along the way, we discuss life. Photojournalists were among the first to know about the cute local television reporter across town who caught my eye (and — fortunately for me — said “yes” to my wedding proposal two years later). They knew the joy when we got pregnant later with our son and then our daughter. They knew the sadness when my dad died and when we lost a baby.
That’s why this change is so difficult. I’ll still be a journalist. I’ll still cover politics. I’ll still live in Iowa. But it will happen in a different way. That’s o.k. Priorities change…theirs and mine. I’m thankful station management wanted me to remain at the station. That’s very humbling. It just felt like it was time for me to do something a little different. Family, flexibility, new focus all played into this.
I recently saw on LinkedIn to call this new phase of my life a “mid-life reinvention,” rather than a “mid-life crisis.” Starting a new career seems like a much better choice than getting an overpriced sports car and a girlfriend (just kidding, Emily).
I feel at peace this weekend. I know that I made the best decision for myself and for my family…even if we don’t have everything plotted out completely yet. But I’ll really miss seeing my colleagues every day and sharing those conversations. Change can be hard, even when it’s the right choice to make.
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You’re just repotting yourself, Dave! Allowing room for deeper roots and healthy new growth!
I have always appreciated and enjoyed the sincerity of your reporting, Dave. Thanks for posting your first column. I look forward to reading more of them!