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Something happens when you go to war together.
You bond.
Well, I've only gone to war once and really with only one person. So, I guess this is not a scientific study. I can only report what I know.
I know that in February 2003, CNN shipped me off to Kuwait to cover the start of the Iraq war. My producer, Betsy Anderson, was by my side. We were already friendly, as she had worked on my show for awhile, behind the scenes, and gone with me to other breaking news events like the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster just a month before.
Kuwait was a whole other level of work and togetherness. We learned how to survive possible chemical attacks together.
We gathered stories, evacuated to the basement countless times together, worked wacky hours together, and in a few spare moments explored Kuwait City and yes, even had fun together.
A suggestion—if you ever go to war with someone, make sure it's someone you're compatible with, because you're pretty much glued at the hip. Also, make sure it is someone who has your back and who can just crack you up in the tensest of situations. For instance, in the middle of all this, we celebrated Betsy's birthday. She announced in the makeshift newsroom that she was turning 33 and in fact, she would be remaining at 33 for the rest of her life. "It was good enough for Jesus. It's good enough for me," she declared. (That line still makes me smile.)
Betsy's the only person I've ever stood side by side with our feet in the Persian Gulf. And she's only person I know who could look out over that body of water and sigh, "That looks like some awesome water for skiing."
See, waterskiing is Betsy's passion. Not too long after we got back from Kuwait, she quit CNN and went after her dream of becoming a champion barefoot waterskier. She has now has the gold medal from the 2006 World Cup Championship that shows dreams do come true. That's Betsy below. Notice--no skis! Wow!
But, I'm getting a little off course, here. Since long before our war days, Betsy has been talking about her favorite place on Earth. Her cabin on Big Pine Lake in northern Minnesota. "You gotta come visit," she'd say every year. And every year, I'd say, "Oh, absolutely. Maybe next year."
I was saying that again this year, "Maybe next year," when something just spoke to me. Who knows what next year holds? I looked at the calendar, saw the free and clear for 4-days, looked at my laptop, and decided, "This year."
I'm so glad I did.
You know something's working right when you can do your job while also looking out over one of the prettiest tree-lined lakes you've ever seen.
I smartly got by with the bare minimum of work. Good thing, as Betsy quickly had me out on the water in her boat. I got to see Betsy and her friends do their barefoot waterskiing. Even though I saw it, my brain is still trying to wrap around hey, they physically do what they do.
And she had me quickly up on skis.
Ever the gracious hostess, she actually allowed me to use skis without judging me.
Her 14-year-old cousin, Indie, almost had me mastering a knee board, as well. It's just that a sudden summer storm stopped that lesson short, as we made a beeline across the lake trying to beat the thunder, lightning and tornado sirens.
It wouldn't be a trip to a new part of the country without a little sightseeing. Betsy knew just where to take me. We loaded up with still more of her cousins (there are more of them living around the lake than there are pine trees, I think) and we headed north to Itasca State Park.
"We've stood in the Persian Gulf," Betsy decided, "Now, we will stand in the headwaters of the Mississippi River."
That's just what we did.
As the Indigo Girls sing in their classic song, Ghost, "The Mississippi's mighty but it starts in Minnesota at a place where you could walk across with five steps down,"
It's true. Just to the left of me in this photo are the five stone steps you walk across. Great symbolism there. Some of the biggest and most powerful forces in this world start with just a few little steps.
That's just one of the thoughts I'll take away with me from this Minnesota vacation.
Betsy--thanks for being such an awesome producer, hostess, waterski instructor, tour guide, and of course, friend.
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