Pride goeth before the blog

My Lent story:

We go back many years when I didn’t know God all that well, but thought I did. One Lent I decided I would spend that time thinking less of myself.

Yup. I gave up pride for Lent. And then bragged about it.

Conversations went like this:

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“Giving up pride. Not thinking of myself. Thinking only of others,” I’d say.

“Um…” would come a confused reply. “So, you’re HELPING others, right? Using your free time to meet the needs of a neighbor?”

“Well, not that,” I’d say. “But I’m THINKING of others instead of myself. Is that not great, or what?”

Blank stare.

My friend Nancy Kennedy knows this story quite well, as she was there when I first bragged about giving up pride for Lent. We laugh about it every year.

But I need to keep that stuff on my radar. Pride, ego, arrogance…it can pull me down and run me over faster than any politician. And when examples are brought to my attention, I should sincerely ponder if I'm pushing the arrogance envelope a little too much.

Someone recently suggested to me that my blog’s stated mission — tell you things you should know and wouldn’t know if I didn’t tell you — is misleading because it suggests the blog is the sole source of anything important in Citrus County. Of course, that’s crazy. Certainly not my intent to portray that message.

There are numerous sources of information in Citrus County. I present one angle. The Chronicle is the main source. I know, we all have our opinions about the newspaper, but it’s still the county newspaper. Just about everything we get from the Chronicle is new.

I’ve subscribed for decades and rely on it all the time. Thursday, for example, I watched a little of the data center public hearing online but missed most of it. The Chronicle's Mike Bates had a story posted by mid-afternoon, which I shared on the JWC Facebook page. I didn’t do that work. Mike did.

I often forget how hard these reporters, photographers, and editors work to provide the best community news coverage each published day. 

There is a difference between my former Chronicle role and what I do today. I’m still the same journalist, but with no filter, which means we get to the matter in a hurry. I tell you things THAT I THINK you should know and wouldn’t know if I didn’t tell you. Folks read this blog for a specific perspective...mine, presented in a way that encourages informed discussion.

Just Wright Citrus sets a table most weekday mornings, and then we talk about it. It's often stuff that rises to the level of community significance. We're also trailblazers. Some of the subjects we've discussed would not be covered elsewhere if not analyzed by readers here first.

Now, am I arrogant and prideful? Well…yeah.

I try my best to rein this in. It helps when I'm reminded Just Wright Citrus wasn’t even my idea, that thousands read it every week, that advertising sponsors support the blog, and that I’m blessed God entrusted me with this awesome responsibility. Faith drives the bus.

Am I proud of the blog’s success? Absolutely. Deb and I at the start never EVER saw a day with 10,000 Facebook followers, yet I'm on that doorstep. We kept to the mission.

I can point to numerous examples of significant community discussions that started on this blog. I hear it from readers all the time. Someone at Wawa the other day thanked me for informing the public about Library Guy before he could get too out of hand.

Staying on point requires tenacity. A little bit of arrogance gets me through some days.

Too much of it, though, and I think I’m running the joint.

So, all that said, I'll work on my pride/ego/arrogance. We’ll see how it goes.

Have a great Floral City Strawberry Festival weekend, friends.

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