There are certain experinces in life which I never imagined I would ever have the opportunity to accomplish, such as climbing Mt. Everest, dating a beautiful blonde, or being a guest on a radio talk show. Well, at least one of those has now been accomplished and the fact that I get out of breath from walking up a flight of stairs and that my mother (not a blonde) is the only woman who will have dinner with me, the answer to which one it is should be obvious.
This week I had the distinct privilige of being the featured guest on Get Social Radio to discuss my work as a writer for both print and online news sources. It was a surprise to many, as often getting a full string of words out of me can be harder than pulling teeth, without novacaine. Some people had warned me about the boredom of dead air, certain that it’s what I would create. The expectations were low and I was determined to exceed them.
As the time towards going LIVE on the air neared, my nerves were surprisingly low, which is forunate because when nervous I sometimes get an upset stomach. I tried not to think about the dozens, err I mean hundreds or thousands, that were listening around Tipp City and the entire world but just focus on those in the studio. To try and help matters even further I pictured Joyelle, the news anchor, in her underwear but then with my  jaw dropped I was unable to speak.
The energy in the room drastically rose once we were on the airwaves and I realzed the degree of freedom that exists, which for some reason I had not thought about. A loose outline of the show had been provided which made it appear pretty straight forward, but the real treasures of broadcasting are the little unexpected, impromptu change of directions that conversations take. For instance, it was nowhere on the notes but the topic of the NBC late-night talk show debacle came up which led to a somewhat spirited exchange and the opportunity to get off a one-liner that I’m proud of…..’Leno’s ratings were so bad he has a long face.’ It was even followed by a sound effect of a horse, a couple minutes later.
I was most excited when a listener sent a question for me, via the Get Social chat, it’s very pleasing to know that 1) somebody was listening, and 2) cared enough to ask something. I’m really not used to people caring what I have to say, perhaps that’s why i’m so drawn to writing because I tend to express myself best through the written word rather than vocally. Which makes the point that I was on a radio talk show even more ironic. But there is nowhere other than Tipp City where I have an audience with enough interest that I would ever be asked to be on the airwaves.
The time really flew by, and I was again sincerely delighted by hearing about a reader of this very site who had expressed their enjoyment of my articles. To that individual, and those of you who feel the same way, I thank you very much and it truly is the reason I do what I do. People with high paying jobs often say that it’s not about the money and that they would do it for nothing, well I have done it for nothing but no payment is greater than knowing the readers are pleased. So hearing from satisfied readers fills me with riches.
I may never climb Mt. Everest or acquire the love of a beautiful blonde but I at least achieved appearing on a radio show and will forever be thankful to Get Social for the opportunity. Who know’s I might even do it again sometime.
