Signing off (almost)

I'm so stretched for ideas that I will write my obligatory "goodbye" column a week early. Sure, I will have one more column run next week, but I just can't think of anything else to say right now. I'm also not a senior, but I'm about 99 percent certain I won't be returning to the IDS next year, so I feel entitled to a goodbye. Over the course of writing 29 pieces (30 including this one) for this paper, I learned the following:\nFirst, this wasn't as easy as I thought it would be. I applied for this position largely because I felt like many of you probably do now. I was not satisfied with the quality of the columns that ran on this page during my first two years as a student at IU. Because I thought I could do the job better myself, rather than complain about it all the time, I went ahead and tried (you can be the judge on that matter). When I started last semester, I probably could have written two columns per week and sent them all in early. Now, even writing one is an extreme chore, and I rarely submit before the deadline anymore (sorry, Cordell and Tony). The point is, thinking you have something to say when you write a letter to the editor is vastly different from writing a column every week.\nSecond, the best columns aren't planned. When I started, I thought I'd write one column each for the death penalty, abortion, the Iraq war, etc. It didn't turn out that way at all. I wrote about some topics three or four times (like the Danish cartoons), and some simply never seemed relevant enough in the news or national consciousness. In my mind, my best work was the impromptu column I wrote last semester immediately after an experience with the Old Paths Baptist Church. It is also something I would never have predicted I would write.\nThird, hearing from people is probably my favorite part of all this. I do take a certain satisfaction from having a critical letter printed in the Jordan River Forum, but even more satisfying are the short e-mails I occasionally receive that simply tell me I said something worthwhile. I'm bordering on begging, but since I'm nearing the end, I entreat you all to let columnists know what you think about their work.\nFourth, the Internet is amazing. A Muslim activist in London contacted me in response to my Danish cartoon columns, and several colleges in Florida ran my column about Jeb Bush's plan to have high school students declare majors. The editors tell us that the IDS has a daily circulation of 17,000, but I am certain I reach far more people online. This seems to be the direction for all printed media.\nNot exactly an epiphany, but that's what I learned. So for now, good night and good luck ... until next week (seriously, I really do have one more column to write!)