Pitter from Pat
While visions of grandeur danced in my head…
I pictured them running to their phones or computers. Messages were coming in left and right via phone and email.
Deadlines, deadlines, deadlines! They either keep me going or give me stress, and while preparing for this issue of Radius… it was indeed stressful.
Like most companies, summertime produces vacancies in the ranks due to vacations and such. And at Radius, we are no exception to that rule. As much as all of us enjoy vacating our jobs for the coveted week of relaxation, it nonetheless puts a strain on those left behind who are picking up the slack.
As the deadline to ship the next issue to the press approached, my mind began to spin, and I was nudged by thoughts of what corners I could cut in order to get this magazine out on time. Cutting pages was out of the question because it is difficult enough to stop at our usual page count. I am always plagued by thoughts of what if an illness, prevention, or treatment that we don’t include in the issue is the one that will make a difference in the life of a reader. Each issue comes with hard decision-making.
Then it hit me…Pitter from Pat! I can easily drop that from my list of “to do,” after all I am the one who writes it…who says that I have to? So, I pondered that thought.
But, what about my fans? How can I let them down? Why… there must be thousands! I pictured them flipping to the back of the magazine as soon as it arrived and the disappointed look on their faces. I saw them flopping down in a chair and frantically leafing through the pages to see if the piece had been relocated. I saw them actually sobbing. I pictured them running to their phones or computers. Messages were coming in left and right via phone and email asking, “Where is Pitter from Pat?” Some even went as far as demanding to speak to the Publisher to ask about the column.
Suddenly my visions came to an abrupt halt…I awoke.
Climbing from a deep and welcome slumber, reality came crashing down along with my visions of fame and popularity. Faced again with looming deadlines and staff who were counting on me, I took my place at the desk and began to write my column; maybe not for the benefit of thousands, but for at least five fans that I am sure would miss me. Never let it be said that Pat doesn’t appreciate her fans…no matter how small in number they may be.
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Patricia Kirby, Editor
Patricia Kirby brings several years of journalism, editing, and publishing experience to Radius magazine. She is a published writer and former co-editor of Hoosier Outdoor magazine, with a distribution throughout the mid-west. Patricia is also a former Editor and Publisher of the Hoosier Topics newspaper, distributed countywide in Putnam County, Indiana, and the Springs Valley Herald, French Lick, Indiana. Her tell it like it is writing style offers humor and a bit of satire in her monthly columns, "Pitter from Pat." She has done extensive traveling, including a month in the Outback of Australia to accompany a study group of Aboriginal tribal music.
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