After LTUE is Done

Today is a jellyfishing day. I drift about, occasionally dealing with a task that I bump up against, but mostly just drifting.

I came home from LTUE last night to discover that my kids were mostly in bed, the house was relatively clean, and while there were dirty dishes aplenty, they bore testimony of the fact that my kids ate food healthier than candy corn. All of that and I never got a crisis phone call. The kids took care of each other and generally managed just fine while I was gone. I am extremely grateful for this. Not only because it made coming home far less stressful, but also because it is evidence that my months and years of effort to teach them are actually bearing fruit. They are quite glad to have me back at home. Today has been huggier than usual.

This afternoon we all went to church. The moment everyone was settled on the bench, calmness settled over me like a comfortable blanket. I looked around the chapel at all my friends and neighbors. I live in a good place, surrounded by good people. All the professional should-haves and what-ifs dropped away. I love attending conferences and events. I love coming home to where I can just settle in and be inconspicuous.

I have panel notes to write up. I also came away with a list of follow-up items. The biggest thing on this list is that I really must pull together a short book of essays pulled from this blog. It doesn’t need to be cohesive or brilliant. All it needs to be is a sampler, something physical that I can point at when people ask what I write. Hopefully tomorrow I can begin focused work on all the convention follow-up items. Then of course there are the preparatory tasks for upcoming conventions. And the graphic design work for the next Schlock book.

For tonight, drifting and sleep