Every day is a different, new day

     As we prepare for our annual “Salute to Women” issue out in mid-September, I’ve already conducted several of my interviews with women working in a variety of fields: retail, vision, law, and law enforcement.

      With each interview, I’ve asked these ladies what they enjoy about their jobs, and 99.9 percent of the time they’ve commented that they appreciate how each day is a different day. They’re not doing the exact same every single day.

     I got to thinking about what I enjoy about my job, and I have to say I quite agree.

     While a big part of my job involves the regularly scheduled meetings such as city council and county supervisors, what I like is that each day brings a new story, literally.

     Case-in-point: Last Thursday I spent my entire morning in Anamosa. (Yes, our news encompasses more than just Monticello.) That morning I was scheduled to interview Jones County Public Health Coordinator Jenna Lovaas on her resignation (more on Jenna later in my column). Following that, Senator Joni Ernst was coming to Jones County on her annual 99-county tour. She was stopping in Stone City at Weber Stone Company. As I was driving through Anamosa, past the courthouse, from having been in Stone City, I saw smoke in the distance. I thought there was a fire at the courthouse. Thankfully that was not the case! There was a motorcycle parked outside of Jones County Abstract, next to the courthouse. That motorcycle caught fire and had flames billowing from it.

     I stopped and pulled over on W. Main Street and immediately started taking pictures before the Anamosa Fire Department showed up.

     After an eventful morning like that, it was hard to concentrate once I returned back to the office in Monticello.

     I’m not cut out to work in an environment where I come to work every day and perform the same duties day in and day out. Kudos to those who can do this; you’re dedicated! Even the days we spend covering the Great Jones County Fair are all different. Each day presents a different livestock species; some are easier to cover than others.

     These last few weeks have certainly been busy, perhaps busier than normal, for us at the Express. But that just means there has been something different to tackle and take on each day.

     You’ve perhaps read the front-page article in this week’s paper regarding Jenna Lovaas’ resignation as Public Health coordinator. A bit of a shock, but very understandable…

     No one gets into this type of job thinking he/she will have to manage an international, national, and statewide public health emergency and pandemic. Jenna and her staff kept us all informed and healthy during the last year-plus.

     She provided weekly updates regarding COVID to the Jones County Supervisors. She answered my constant emails and phone calls with questions I had in order to do my job and report the facts to the public and our readers. They held numerous public vaccination clinics when we could receive the COVID vaccine locally rather than try to find appointments elsewhere, which wasn’t always that convenient.

     Now, as school resumes during yet another COVID surge, it’s crazy to think that Jenna won’t be just a phone call or email away to help answer everyone’s questions or offer her expert advice.

     But, as she told the county, she needs to focus on herself and her young family right now, knowing she missed so much due to COVID and her job.

     Mental health certainly came to the forefront during the recent Olympics. COVID also made us more aware of how important it is to consider our mental health, in addition to our physical and emotional health and well-being.

     Public Health, medical staff, and educators all over the country and state are stepping away from their jobs due to COVID and the frustrations that go along with it. They are all about to deal with it yet again as COVID cases are on the rise. Please keep them in mind right now…