31,950 words

I didn’t want to write a farewell column.

I purposefully wrote what I thought was my final column on sexism in the casting of the new “Star Wars” movie just to avoid writing a farewell column.

But alas, here I am. So, I suppose I should give this a shot in the dark.

Other writers are better at being sympathetic, optimistic and motivational than I am.

World-weary cynicism and snark are more my wheelhouse, but I suppose I can muster up a few parting words for my readers.

By my count, I’ve written 71 opinion columns.

That’s roughly 31,950 words I’ve shoved down your throats during the past two years —  31,950 words that, for some reason, I felt entitled to share with the masses.

And that isn’t even counting any of the pop culture reviews, Weekend columns or staff editorials I’ve written.

Being one of the few people of the 40,000 students at IU to have an opinion column in the student newspaper is a job I took seriously.

They weren’t all gems, especially those written at 3 a.m. after I ran out of television to procrastinate with.

But I hope anyone who has read my work during the years has taken something away from it.

Those 71 columns hardly represent all that I am, but they’re what I chose to share with you.

Whether or not you were listening, I thank you.

A writer is nothing without the audience in which he or she hopes to find attention.

If writing for this paper has taught me anything, it’s to never underestimate the reach your voice has.

I’ve caused a fair share of ruckus with my words.

Trust me, it was never with the intention of riling up people.

I’ve always been 100 percent honest with my words.

I never wrote to appease anybody, and that is something of which I’m unabashedly proud.

I’ve been many things during my four years at IU.

I’ve been a friend, a mess, a roommate, a student, an IDS editor, a boyfriend, a Singing Hoosier, a one-night stand and a writer.
 
But most importantly, I’ve been a Hoosier, which is something I will take with me everywhere I go.

Whether you actually read my work or you simply used it to fuel a bonfire on a warm spring evening, thanks for making this an experience I’ll carry with me for the rest of my life.

­wdmcdona@indiana.edu
@thedevilwearsdm