March 29, 2024

The misadventures of a baby-faced journalist

I was looking for a spot to shoot photos in a high school auditorium last month, when a teacher’s voice stopped me in my tracks.

“Students sit over here.”

I stopped, wondering what exactly I should do. Do I pull out my ID? They don’t teach you this stuff in journalism class.

Thankfully, I was saved the trouble of explaining myself as the teacher quickly realized his mistake. Maybe it was the camera and notepad that gave me away. Maybe it was my momentary look of incredulity. Either way, we joked momentarily about how young I look, and he told me I could go wherever I wanted in the room.

Just another day in the life of a baby-faced reporter.

Looking “old” is never something I’ve been good at. Maybe it’s because I’m quiet. Maybe it’s the glasses. Maybe it’s my inability to grow anything on my face besides a faint constellation of blonde fuzz above my top lip, one that would take a seasoned astronomer and the Hubble telescope to discover.

Whatever the case, it’s become a bit of a running joke during my first couple months out of college. I’ve been asked if I’m an intern, when I’m going to start college and how it is that I’m old enough to have this job. In a couple cases, I’ve also had to clarify that I am, in fact, out of high school.

Don’t get me wrong, I hold no hostility toward the sources of any of these remarks. I’ve often been told looking young is a good thing. And, while I’d give nearly anything to be able to at least sprout a chinstrap or a soul patch, I think those who tell me I’m blessed might have a point.

Last week, I had the opportunity to interview Sen. Charles Grassley. He impressed me by how sharp he is for a man knocking on the door of 82, even moreso considering he’s running for U.S. Senate again in 2016. If he wins, he’ll be 89 before the term is done.

During the interview, I asked him what keeps him young, and he mentioned how he runs religiously, a habit he started taking seriously at 65. I think he could quite possibly still pass for 65 today.

And I thought, when I’m 81, those comments about my age will actually sound rather nice.

That interview helped me realize that it’s not about how young you look or how old you actually are. Youth and old age both have their perks, and life is best lived taking care of the years and youth you’ve got right now.

My hope is that when I'm running for my seventh term in Congress, I can look back on my baby-faced days and be proud of what I did with them.

So, if you ever happen to see a skinny, bespectacled teenager running around town with a notepad and a tape recorder, don’t hesitate to say hi. It’s probably just me.

But, for the record, I’m 22.