Birthdays aren’t what they used to be. There was a time when all my pals would come over on the big day, and after cake and ice cream, we would play with a new ball and bat or check out some of the newest trading cards I got in a birthday card. Sometimes we would stay inside and set up the Hot Wheels and play with a few new cars or we would ride bikes and check out a new accessory or two that was designed to increase speed; you know, reflectors in the spokes or tassels on the handle bars, that kind of thing.
Yeah, there was a time when birthdays were fun and the cake was still edible after you blew out the candles. I don’t know when it happened but somewhere along the way my birthdays changed. Once I reached a certain age my “friendly” friends stopped coming over and the one’s who attended my birthday’s took pleasure in reminding me that the cake would taste better without the wax and that the theme color for my yearly celebration really should be black.
In a round about way I encouraged them to eat as much cake (wax) as they wanted and told them that next year the party would be exclusive and by invitation only. Yeah, there was a time when things weren’t so complicated and birthdays were fun.
It’s not that I don’t like birthdays; I still get a few genuine “Happy Birthdays” from some “friendly” friends and the family. What wears on me is the constant reminder that I’m actually a little bit older than I was the previous year. I see it every morning under the harsh bathroom lights before I shower and I feel it every Friday before bed after a long hard week. I can only surmise (and take delight) that people who seem to enjoy pointing out my shortcomings are actually living in fear of change; and I know what kind of change they’re in for.
Although my birthdays aren’t as exciting as they used to be there is one celebration I was very glad to see. This month marks the one-year anniversary of the Green River Sun. It’s hard to believe, but this little newspaper has endured and proved the nay-sayers wrong. A first birthday will not keep the critics away and no doubt there will be many who think that next year’s anniversary is wishful thinking, but it is a milestone. It is worth mentioning.
When the Green River Sun began the decision was made to be different; we wanted to look different and we wanted be different. Re-hashing the same old formula, we thought, was not going to serve the public’s interest.
Being different is not easy. It gets you noticed, and being different is not always easy to maintain. A lot of people took notice of our first few issues and they calmly dismissed us with an arrogant wave of the hand, but when we reached our six-month mark you could almost hear them raise their eyebrows. They kept to themselves and quietly told those who would listen that our days were numbered and that soon the local newspaper world would return to normal.
However, something happened on the way to the printing office. It wasn’t long until cards and letters (along with subscriptions) began filling our mailbox. It was accompanied by phone calls and visits by people who liked what we were doing, and they offered us encouragement. People also approached me at sporting events and government meetings and said we were producing the kind of newspaper they wanted; a publication with unbiased news in an easy to read format.
The management and staff of the Green River Sun are very proud of the support and encouragement from the local area. We believe it confirms that our mission to provide a positive and unbiased publication for the people of central Kentucky is a noble effort. We believe that a local newspaper, produced by local people for local people, is an asset to the community, and we believe that a local newspaper driven by the need to serve the community instead of earning mega-dollars at the expense of local advertisers, is an asset to the public.
No doubt we are not perfect, and we are not likely to be perfect anytime soon, but we strive to be the best we can be each week and we look forward to working with the public when the opportunity arises. Our commitment to you is an unbiased look at the community within the best possible news publication we can produce each week.
So, on our first birthday, allow me to say thanks to all our “friendly” friends out there; we appreciate your support. We are anticipating many more celebrations in the years to come, and hopefully with your encouragement, it will be many decades before we have to break out the black balloons.