Staying true to yourself

Dear Annie Wooden,

Thank you for the honesty about you wearing different hats, as well as the comments and actions of the public in relation to reporters. I have comments and thoughts on both of those topics.

A colleague of mine gave me a tip on how to recognize if I was still stressing about the work I did at a Washington (DOC) pre-release when I was a licensed addictions counselor. He said he picks a point or imaginary line in his road home and if work is still bothering him he has a plan to resolve and reduce stress: music, talking with a supervisor the next work day, or do a hobby he enjoys.

It helped reduce my stress and assisted me get back to the non-professional me.

The words and actions I do in public show people only one part of me, as the fuller me is reserved for family and close friends. I try my best to not have the public me not be cruel, obscene, or cause harm to others. It takes a great deal of care, control, maturity, and restraint at times when something goes weird. My goal is to have the public me be authentic, genuine, and not memorable for the wrong reasons.

I hope this will be helpful for many people: you, your staff, and your readers.

Sincerely,

Douglas Wilks, Plains