Holidays are a time for praise

Ever gone shopping during the holidays and gotten bad service at the counter? Next time you get to the counter and you see the clerk having a bad day or maybe a hard time with the previous person in line take time out and think.
How would I act in a situation like that and what can I do to make that person's day go a little better?
I have worked in the public for many years. I have worked in retail and currently have been at the same big box store for the past 14 years. Prior to that I have worked retail in several different aspects.
I will tell you as a journalist dealing with people can be difficult but not quite as cumbersome. I talk to a lot of people on the phone or by email. I am not given that luxury at my other job. It is face-to-face and a lot of the people are not very happy.
Next time you go to the store remember that person behind the counter has a life outside the store. Smile at them. Make a little small talk and believe me it will make their life a little easier and you may even make a new friend. Praise goes a long way.
Dave Merchant is a staff writer for the Chelsea Standard and Dexter Leader and can be reached at 734-429-7380 or dmerchant@heritage.com.

Joy of the holidays

The holidays are often a time for joy and fun. Many people celebrate them in totally different ways.
One of the greatest things about living in the United States is the ability to celebrate how you like and not be frowned upon or persecuted for one’s beliefs.
I think people take that freedom for granted in too many ways. They don’t always look at things in such a positive manner. Freedom of religion is one of the best freedoms we as Americans can have.
Whether people believe we should have a nativity set up at City Hall or a Christmas display in the park. I think those things bring people together. They unite communities and allow people to have similar beliefs and bonds with one another.
Granted, not all religions celebrate the birth of Christ or even give gifts for Christmas, but one must realize how big of an event the holiday has become.
The money that a lot of businesses and stores make during the holiday helps them make it through the slower periods in January and February. People celebrate with gifts, visiting relatives and in many areas just being with family.
What can be better than spending time with the people you love the most? This time of year really means so much to so many different people.
Whether someone is going to church to pray, going to grandmother’s house for supper or dessert or spending time with a friend, it is all equally important. In the end it is about doing what makes you happy and being with the people you love.
It sounds so simple and it isn’t always that easy, but being with the one’s you love is really what makes this time of the year one of the best.
I, for one, will be having an interesting time considering that my oldest child will be a teen-ager seven days before Christmas. This wouldn’t be so bad except she is now only one inch shorter than me and I really feel she is not quite done growing.
About 13 years ago almost to the day I wrote a column about her being born and what a joy it was to have a baby for Christmas. It was one of the proudest accomplishments of my life. Getting married and having a baby are two of the best things in my life. The next is the birth of my son a few years later.
The funny thing was I always said I wanted a daughter first and a boy later. Now as she is getting older I am not so sure that was the best thing to wish for.
It really seems like the time has flown by for my family and I. Over the 13 years I have covered so many events and met so many different people. Being in Dexter and Chelsea now and covering those communities really sheds light on what this all means to me.
People are very interesting to me and covering different aspects of the news and sports worlds is also interesting. I love hearing the different ideas and meeting the different types of people in this job. Everyone has a voice and it is part of my job to explain those voices.
Dave Merchant is a staff writer for the Dexter Leader and Chelsea Standard and can be reached at 734-429-7380 or dmerchant@heritage.com

Village of Dexter needs LaFontaine Chevy

The Village of Dexter may want to make sure the expansion of LaFontaine Chevrolet be approved. The planning commission allowed the plans to go through to the Village Council yesterday. The problem facing the deal is the timeline for General Motors. There have been several changes already made to the original plans.
Matt LaFontaine, owner of dealership, said they are facing a deadline and he would like the deal done soon as possible. The people representing LaFontaine at the planning commission on Monday said they hope to get this done as soon as possible.
I just don't want to see the deal go down the drain and the Village and the residents lose out on what I see as a win-win deal.
It may be on the Council's agenda for this Monday or it may be at the next meeting in December. Keep in touch with the Dexter Leader or this blog for more info.

-30- Time to say goodbye

Years ago, when the first press dispatches from the front lines of the Civil War were sent across telegraph, the reporter would end their correspondence with the symbol, -30-. Though no one knows what this symbol means, or how it originated, it has since become within the journalism profession, a tradition to label your farewell piece as the -30- column. Explanations for this vary, but the one that I most like equate the number with a sign of completion.

I’ve written three –30- columns in my short career in journalism, and each of them have proven significantly harder to write (this being no exception). Indeed, by the time you read this column, I would have already handed off the reins of the Chelsea Standard and Dexter Leader to a new copy editor. After three and a half years with Heritage Newspapers, I recently accepted a new position as editor for an online news website covering the community of Dexter.

It seems like yesterday I was moving into my office on the second floor of the Comerica Bank building in Manchester Village ready to tackle the unsuspecting community. There I was, a young, single, 25-year-old from Texas almost fresh out of college in charge of my very own newspaper. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t scared out of mind. In fact, I fondly recall (after being handed stack after stack of paperwork from my boss and then being asked to film my welcome video), sitting in my office thinking, “What the hell did I commit myself too?” But, by that point, it was too late. I had a job to do, and I set out to do it, and do it the best I could. After all, as the old masthead of the Manchester Enterprise read, "To boldly go where no newspaper has gone before." That motto is a takeoff of the old Star Trek theme. It resonated with me almost immediately (I must confess I am indeed a Trekkie).

For three and a half years, I made it my goal to tell the stories of Manchester, Chelsea, and Dexter. From three-hour council meetings, to covering community fairs, events, police, and human interest pieces –– every story I wrote, I started with a fresh approach and exuberance.

As I began cleaning out my desk, I came across an abundance of old reporter notebooks chalked full of notes from the dozens of stories written over the years. It dawned on me that these notebooks weren’t just a compiling of chicken scratches, they represented a history of the towns I was a part of. The gem, however, was a Sticky Note attached to the back of a notepad that I must have written to myself during the first week on the job. Underneath the words “Meet with Jeff Wallace, 10 a.m.,” the note read, “keep it simple.”

That’s a philosophy I’ve gradually committed myself to over the years. Though a lot of folks believe an editor or reporter’s job is simply to go out and cover a story, there’s a lot more to it. Editors especially commit well over 60 hours weekly writing, editing, designing, blogging, video editing, handling payroll, managing online content, and a half dozen other tasks. This can make for some very late nights.
However, none of that mattered when I was out in the community. My job was to tell a story, and though sometimes individuals didn’t always agree on how that story was told, as a trustee of the community news, my goal was to always paint a fair, accurate, and balanced account.
As is often tradition with these types of farewell columns, I would like to give a few “shout outs” to some folks who made this job just a little bit easier and a lot more enjoyable.

First and foremost to my girlfriend, Amy, whose gentle understanding allowed me to work many late nights without complaint, and who provided a constant source of support to listen to me unload my frustrations without judgment week after week.

Second, to my boss, Michelle Rogers for taking a chance on a relatively unknown guy from Texas. Thanks for the vote of confidence and help over the years. Thanks also for supporting the band and attending many shows at the Quarter Bistro, and for the parties and gatherings at your house. Thank you also for your friendship, especially during my first year on the job.

I also owe a debt of gratitude to my coworkers, each of which will be greatly missed.
Bill C.: I’ve enjoyed our conversations about guitars and music. We will definitely have to get together and have that jam session one day.

Terry J.: Thanks for supporting the band this past year. Hopefully we’ll be able to perform again together at another venue soon.

Don R.: Thanks for all the late night conversations on production night Monday evenings. It’s been a great pleasure working with you.

Ed P.: You were always good for a joke, especially when it came to Simpsons quotes. Though you’re at the Adrian Telegram now, your presence in the office in Saline is sorely missed.

Austen S.: You’re a damn good editor. It’s been fun working together and congratulations on the baby. Good luck in the future.

Sean D. and Dave M.: You guys were my right arm when I was assigned to the Chelsea and Dexter communities. During my tenure, the paper owed a lot to your ability to go out and cover local stories.

Joe, Carol, and Erin: If Dave and Sean were my right arm, you guys were my left when it came to production. Thank you 1,000 times for all the hard work you all did to make sure the paper came out on deadline. Carol, thank you especially for taking the time to explain page design to me during those early days at Heritage.

Kim M., Michelle M., and Pat C.: It’s been great working with you over the years. I can only wish you all the best of luck in the future.

Lisa A.: Thanks for all the help with freelance coverage of Dexter and Chelsea. Your uncanny ability to sniff out a story or track down a lead was a tremendous help. Thanks for hosting the reporter gatherings at your house and for any and all advice now and in the future. Though we started off rocky with the Obama button comment, I’m glad we’ve become good friends.

Jana M. and Stephane T.: You are the best girls in the office. Jana, your an amazing writer and friend who I’ve really come to enjoy working with. Covering President Obama’s speech together at U of M will be one of the best memories I take with me from Heritage. If you ever need help with anything, you know how to get in touch with me. It’s been a great ride, and if you ever launch your book series and you need a good P.R. guy, I’m your man!
Stephane, you are one of the harder ones to say goodbye too. You’ve been a great friend over the years. I could probably write an entire column just about working together with you. We both started at Heritage close to the same time, and since then you’ve become an indispensable friend. Thanks for all your help with the paper, but more importantly, thanks for all the fun times, conversations, and your uncanny ability to coax me through, what I consider sometimes, a crazy life. It’s been a lot of fun working with you and you will be deeply missed. Remember, Thursdays at Dan’s is an open invitation. I wish you all the best in wherever life takes you in the future.

To the rest of the Heritage West staff I leave these parting words:
“Journalism can never be silent: that is its greatest virtue and its greatest fault. It must speak, and speak immediately, while the echoes of wonder, the claims of triumph and the signs of horror are still in the air.”
Keep on doing what your doing. Heritage Newspapers has produced and will continue to produce quality work into the future. While you are here, above all, remember to have fun with the job and don’t take yourselves too seriously.

D.L.

Depression can happen to anyone

By Dave Merchant
Coping with stress and depression is never easy, but it can be especially difficult around the holidays.

The pressure of the holidays can be a lot when it comes to the demands of shopping, parties, family reunions and house guests.

Whatever the reason or whatever the cause, people sometimes bottle their feelings inside, which ends up making them feel worse.

I have always been the type of person that is not very good at holding things in. Sure, I can keep secrets, but when it comes right down to it, I say what I mean most of the time and I don't pull any punches.

I have been dealing with depression for most of my life. When I was a teenager I was diagnosed with Maniac Depression, which, as many people may know, is just a simple imbalance of a chemical in my brain. There isn’t enough salt in my brain, so I have to take medicine to keep it regulated.

I use to think that was a bad thing. I have to take pills in the morning and pills at night. In fact, when I was younger I didn't go around telling anyone but my close family (who already knew) that I had the condition. It wasn't anyone's business and I felt I would keep it to myself. I found that this ended up really bothering me. I would hear people talk about the disease and make fun of it by calling folks “manic” or “bipolar.”

People like to make negative comments on things they either don't understand or maybe they are just ignorant about. Being bipolar is no different than having diabetes or high blood pressure. It is not my fault, and I really had nothing to do with it.

The interesting thing I realized once I came forward with my disease was that I really didn't have to be ashamed of it. In fact, I soon realized people respected me for coming forward and having the strength to admit it.

I had thought over the years that most of these people would have realized just by the way I would act that something was different. That was not the case. I had hidden by depression well from co-workers and friends for many years.

The point I am trying to make is that depression can happen to anyone at any age. People need to realize that no matter how bad it is, there is always someone you can talk to. Someone will listen to what you have to say. Being afraid to talk to someone can only make things worse.

I realized this when I first started with Heritage Newspapers in early 2000, and the CEO and owner of the paper (Heinz Prector), committed suicide. I was devastated because this man had all the money in the world and a life that I could not even imagine.

His death affected a lot of people and Heritage Newspapers was sold to the Journal Register Company. I felt that if he had the same disease as me and couldn't handle it, I was in trouble.

I reached out to his widow and explained how I felt. She was very kind about it and suggested I help with a study at the University of Michigan Depression Center that deals with bipolar disorder. I did sign up for the study and have been doing it for quite a number of years. It helps me personally and I feel good that I am doing something to help the disease.

The point I am trying to make is, people shouldn’t feel alone or ashamed because they are depressed. Instead, try to embrace it in some way and maybe make a negative a positive.

Dave Merchant is a staff writer at the Chelsea Standard or Dexter Leader and can be reached at dmerchant@heritage.com or 734-697-8255.
For more information on depression, call the University of Michigan Depression Center at 1-734-936-4400 or the Chelsea Community Hospital at 1-734-475-4040.