Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Hermiston herald. (Hermiston, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (May 27, 2020)
OPINION READER’S FORUM Founded in 1906 WEDNESDAY, MAY 27, 2020 A4 EDITOR’S DESK A career is a journey, not a destination D ear graduating seniors, Congratulations on your accomplishments in graduating from high school. Whether you stayed the course with a 4.0 GPA or were one of those who worked hard to scrape together a pass- ing grade at the end in far from ideal circumstances, what you have achieved is something you should feel proud of. Jade Celebrations for that McDowell work will look a little bit NEWS EDITOR different this year, and I’m sorry about that. I truly feel for students who have been suffering the disappoint- ment of missing their fi nal musical per- formance or sports season or just hang- ing out with friends. If it is any comfort at all, I will say I believe society sometimes places an outsized role on certain rites of pas- sage. I skipped my high school prom, for example, and turned out fi ne. I have no idea what any of my friends I’ve met since high school wore to their prom, or who they went with, or whether they went at all, because it is not something that comes up in day-to-day adult life. As I thought of what kind of advice I might give you, since you won’t have the usual commencement speeches to sit through, I have two pieces of advice relating to what comes next. The fi rst is to not pay too much atten- tion to the well-known quote “Love what you do and you’ll never work a day in your life.” I love my job. I know a lot of people who love their jobs, but in my experi- ence, each one of those people still have Staff photo by Kathy Aney, File Adrian Corta and Julian Gutierrez announce their post-secondary choice as Blue Mountain Community College during Signing Day at Umatilla High School in 2019. the occasional complaint about their employment. They might have to con- trol their impatience with certain cus- tomers, stress out when a co-worker quits unexpectedly or not enjoy the paperwork part. I’m sure Marshawn Lynch loved playing for the Seattle Seahawks in 2015. It was probably a dream come true. But when media day for the Super Bowl came around, he answered every question from reporters with, “I’m just here so I don’t get fi ned,” proving even star athletes have parts of their job — like holding press conferences — that feel like work rather than play. If you test the waters on a col- lege major or other job path and aren’t enjoying yourself overall, fi nd some- thing you’ll like better. But be cau- tious about buying into the notion that everyone has One True Calling out there somewhere that will solve all their problems. That brings me to my second piece of advice, which is not to feel like you have one shot right now at age 18 to pick what the rest of your life will be like, and there is only one right answer. Some jobs have a pretty straight- forward career path. Someone does a plumbing apprenticeship and ends up as a plumber, or goes to nursing school to become a nurse. But there are millions of job titles out there. There is a good chance yours will end up looking more like “content marketing manager for a company that makes toothbrushes.” People don’t generally decide in high school they want to work for a COLUMN LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Help is available when it comes to mental health M ay is Mental Health Awareness Month. East- ern Oregon Coordinated Care Organization (EOCCO) and its partner, Greater Oregon Behav- ioral Health, Inc., (GOBHI) are hon- ored to join our providers through- out Eastern Ore- gon and beyond in raising awareness and bringing under- standing to the sig- Karen Wheeler nifi cant role that mental health has on one’s overall health and wellbeing. May is an important month for observations recognizing com- munity-serving initiatives. Since 1949, United States communi- ties have observed Mental Health Awareness Month. We honor this month to rec- ognize the importance of mental health and wellness in our com- munities. One in fi ve adults in America experience a mental ill- ness. Nearly one in 25 adults live with a serious mental illness. The COVID-19 pandemic has only emphasized the importance of mental health in daily life. It is normal to feel anxiety and fear during this pandemic. Taking care of yourself, your friends, and your family can help you cope with stress. Consider these stress manage- ment tips from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: • Pause. Breathe. Notice how you feel. • Take breaks from COVID- 19 news and information. • Make time to sleep and exercise. • Reach out and stay connected. • Seek help if feeling over- whelmed or feeling unsafe. If you are in an immediate dan- ger, call 911. Lines for Life pro- vides free, 24-hour crisis lines for people who are experiencing a mental health crisis, including sui- cidal thoughts and lines for indi- viduals or family members con- cerned about substance use. You can fi nd more information at www.linesforlife.org. If you need help for an urgent but not immediate matter, consider calling the David Romprey Warm Line: 1-800-698-2392. Community Mental Health Pro- grams offer an array of behav- ioral health and support services in each Oregon county. These pro- viders have 24/7 crisis lines and mobile crisis response teams; Eastern Oregon numbers are listed at www.eocco.com/members/ crisis-help. Another helpful resource is Mental Health First Aid, a public education program that introduces participants from all walks of life to risk factors and warning signs of mental health problems, builds understanding of their impact and overviews appropriate supports. A map of available instructors and courses is posted at mhfaoregon. org. EOCCO and GOBHI are com- mitted to rural and frontier health care; this mission is more import- ant than ever during times of crisis. We encourage you to assist us in sharing the important message of Mental Health Month with your friends, families and neighbors — during May and in the months ahead. ——— Karen Wheeler is the CEO of Greater Oregon Behavioral Health Inc. and Sean Jessup is the CEO of Eastern Oregon Coordi- nated Care Organization. All lives matter To the editor: I received an urgent message from my sister on April 15, 2020, that our cousin’s adult grandson, Caleb, was missing. Caleb had grad- uated from a Salem high school in 2019 and had started an appren- ticeship program. Caleb had a history of depression, but was excited about his new prospects in life. Then COVID-19 hit and he was let go at work. He followed all of the social distancing and stay-at-home guidelines, as did his room- mate. With life interrupted, the darkness of despair began to engulf him until it consumed him. Later that day, he was found dead from a self-infl icted wound. I consider Caleb’s death COVID-19 related, though it will not appear on the daily OHA report. It is imperative that the most vul- nerable, the elderly and those with fragile health are protected from COVID-19. However, all other Oregonians should be free to choose to stay home or be able to work with safe precautions. We fl attened the COVID19 curve, now it is time to fl atten the pro- jected 6,000 suicides related to COVID-19. Let’s learn from Caleb: All lives matter and work and school are essential for all of us. Kris Peterson Hermiston CONTACT YOUR REPRESENTATIVES STATE REP. GREG SMITH, DISTRICT 57 900 Court St. NE, H-482 Salem, OR 97301 503-986-1457 Email: Rep.GregSmith@state.or.us ——— STATE SEN. BILL HANSELL, DISTRICT 29 900 Court St. NE, S-423 Salem, OR 97301 503-986-1729 Email: Sen.BillHansell@state.or.us CORRECTIONS Printed on recycled newsprint VOLUME 114 • NUMBER 18 Chris Rush | Publisher • crush@eomediagroup.com • 541-278-2669 Jade McDowell | News Editor • jmcdowell@eastoregonian.com • 541-564-4536 Jeanne Jewett | Multi-Media consultant • jjewett@hermistonherald.com • 541-564-4531 Audra Workman | Multi-Media consultant • aworkman@eastoregonian.com • 541-564-4538 To contact the Hermiston Herald for news, advertising or subscription information: • call 541-567-6457 • e-mail info@hermistonherald.com • stop by our offi ces at 333 E. Main St. • visit us online at: hermistonherald.com The Hermiston Herald (USPS 242220, ISSN 8750-4782) is published weekly at Hermiston Herald, 333 E. Main St., Hermiston, OR 97838, (541) 567-6457. company that makes toothbrushes, but somebody has to do it. I read a story recently about a woman whose job it is to pick out the artwork for television characters’ homes, based on the character’s personality, aesthetic, the time period they live in and what they might be able to afford. It’s a cool job, but probably not exactly where she imagined she would end up when she graduated from high school. So remember as you start your jour- ney that the job you’ll love might not be one you know exists yet, most col- lege students change their major at least once and most people don’t retire from the same company they started at. A career, like life in general, isn’t a journey from A to B but rather a maze with constantly branching paths. I may have chosen to major in journalism, but every day since I have had to make choices. Do I want to stay in my job or is it time for a change? If it’s time for a change, do I want to stay in journalism or do something else? If I stay in jour- nalism, what job title would I want to pursue, and what news outlet would I want to work for? If I wanted to get out of journalism, what would I want to do instead? If you’re not sure exactly what you want to do with the rest of your life, don’t sweat it. You’re not choosing your entire future right now, you’re just tak- ing a fi rst step. Every step will bring new choices into view, including the choice to turn back and go in a differ- ent direction if you don’t like what you see ahead. So good luck out there. You’ll do great. Periodical postage paid at Hermiston, OR. Postmaster, send address changes to Hermiston Herald, 333 E. Main St., Hermiston, OR 97838. Member of EO Media Group Copyright ©2020 It is the policy of the Hermiston Herald to correct errors as soon as they are discovered. Incorrect information will be corrected on Page 2A. Errors commited on the Opinion page will be corrected on that page. Corrections also are noted in the online versions of our stories. Please contact the editor at editor@hermistonherald.com or call (541) 564-4533 with issues about this policy or to report errors. SUBMIT A LETTER TO THE EDITOR Letters Policy: Letters to the Editor is a forum for the Hermiston Herald readers to express themselves on local, state, national or world issues. Brevity is good, but longer letters should be kept to 250 words. No personal attacks; challenge the opinion, not the person. The Hermiston Herald reserves the right to edit letters for length and for content. GOV. KATE BROWN 160 State Capitol 900 Court Street Salem, OR 97301-4047 503-378-4582 Email: www.oregon.gov/gov/ Pages/ share-your-opinion.aspx ——— MAYOR DAVID DROTZMANN 180 NE Second St. Hermiston, OR 97838 ddrotzmann@hermiston.or.us Letters must be original and signed by the writer or writers. Anonymous letters will not be printed. Writers should include a telephone number so they can be reached for questions. Only the letter writer’s name and city of residence will be published. OBITUARY POLICY The Hermiston Herald publishes paid obituaries. The obituary can include small photos and, for veterans, a fl ag symbol at no charge. Expanded death notices will be published at no charge. These include information about services. Obituaries may be edited for spelling, proper punctuation and style. Obituaries and notices may be submitted online at hermistonherald.com/obituaryform, by email to obits@ hermistonherald.com, by fax to 541-276-8314, placed via the funeral home or in person at the Hermiston Herald or East Oregonian offi ces. For more information, call 541-966-0818 or 1-800-522-0255, x221.
