WSET.com - ABC13I'm Humbled They Let Me Try by Sarah Bloom

1:15 isn't always enough.

If you haven't noticed, our shows are about 30 minutes each (that's including the commercials). Try jam-packing all the best information you can find into that little bit of time left, and it leaves just a sliver of time for each story, 1:15 (one minute, 15 seconds), most of the time.

That's the hardest part of television, undoubtedly. We meet suffering face to face so regularly. I've been there as the victims of devastating tornadoes dig through rubble to find a wallet or a purse amidst what remains of their belongings. They tell me they're the lucky ones. They're safe. They just need identification to seek aid.

I've asked so much of a mother mourning the unexpected loss of a child. She tells me she can't think of anything worse, but she knows her child is in a better place. And yet you can read her pain in her slumped shoulders, her longing eyes, and her arms wrapped tightly in a self-hug meant for the child she'll never hold again.

Regularly, we speak to parents inspiringly trying to give their children confidence in the face of cruel, unfair bullying. But how do you even start to tackle such disgusting lack of empathy when the web is endless and unforgiving? How do you shelter your child from a world you can't control?

And who can forget the economy? The people trying to get by without any promises of work to come. They tell me they'll get by with each other, with God. But, you know there's no paycheck around the corner. And I've covered the job fairs...thousands lined up for just a few jobs.

The hardest part of television, is summing up that relentless pain and suffering, the odds stacked against people so deserving of something better, safer, more reliable. How do I find space for the always present spirit that lies within each person I meet-- the resilience that faces the worst of situations with the utmost hope.

That's what I'm still trying to figure out. 1:15 doesn't always seem to be enough time to give the people and stories here justice. I'm so humbled that they let me try. Thank you.