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Life in PR: Working under high stress

The past few weeks in the Chamber for me have been kind of up and down. After three weeks of fun, the tone for one day turned a little darker.

Wrapping up the day on May 31, with Varian Brown, Director of Economic Development, I was here when he received a phone call that his grandmother had passed away. Personally, I have never been so scared, curious, and sympathetic for someone’s emotions than I was at that moment. Being around when someone learns of the passing of a close relative is something I would not want anyone to experience.

Clearly shaken, he locked up the office and ran to his family in their time of need. Varian is a very proud man and I could not imagine the pain inside him at that time.

Yet, from what I know she lived to be 94 years old and was able to experience some of the joyous occasions in his life. That is a true blessing.

He missed the entire following week, understandably, and it was really eerie to be working on videos and pictures for the website and YouTube knowing he was experiencing so much grief.

The entire week he was gone Patty Martin, Administrative Secretary at the Chamber, kept my spirits up with her jokes and antics. It was refreshing to get to know her as she discussed her previous jobs and likes and dislikes in music and people while I helped her get things done at the Chamber.

The following week I returned to the Chamber on Thursday as my schedule at work didn’t allow me to come. Varian returned but on Thursday and Friday I did not see him, but for everyone else I brought desserts and cakes for the staff from my job for everyone to enjoy after a Chamber Board Meeting.

Also, that weekend Patty came to visit me at my job as I cooked for her and her family.

The next week was back to business. Kinks in programs on the office laptop hindered me from completing the final touches needed for the 2013 Economic Summit I worked on. One word best describes the transcribing and editing of those videos: tedious. Though boring, and frustrating, at points, it was fun learning about the current economic climate of Lowndes County, the state of Georgia and the United States in a microeconomic way.

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