Amy BoughnerI am a news hound. I always loved breaking stories and sharing news with people. That’s one of the reasons I went to journalism school, and definitely one of the reasons I was so great at writing breaking stories and an awesome media monitor.
I enjoy paying attention, knowing what’s going on, seeking out the facts.
And even I have been overwhelmed by news recently.
In the midst of what was already chaotic, we’ve had long-known secrets bubbling to the surface.
I’ve been struggling as the movement has started pulling apart my former workplace. I didn’t have any of those experiences – mainly because I worked a different job and different hours than just about everyone else and rarely socialized. Because I am an introvert, because I don’t drink.
Now my biggest fear is that I failed other women. Women who were helping to raise me up.
One of the greatest gifts I got during my years on the Hill was being surrounded by strong, smart women. Women who knew their stuff and served as examples to me. They were examples not only of women doing important work well, women focused on bettering our country, but women of all different backgrounds who were making careers work.
These women made my life better, made me stronger, encouraged me in my career and as a person. Helped me to believe in what I was doing and why.
I feel that my lack of awareness, perhaps my being naïve, could have hurt these women who were having different experiences than me.
In the midst of all of this there is even more going on, and at the same time work is very busy and I’m reading Hillary Clinton’s book about the last election.
There is a lot going on and I want to be present for it all, it is a responsibility, but it is exhausting.
So I will turn to some fiction and some creativity, and some exercise, the movies and a hot bath.
