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
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(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.
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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
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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
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punctuation and style.
Obituaries and notices may be submitted online at
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