THANKFUL FRIDAY

I’ve hit a little bit of a writing wall. This is why you are not seeing anything new here this week. I’m leaving Sunday for a science conference and I’ve been spending a lot of energy looking over the program and making calendar notes for the sessions I want to attend. I have not attended a conference in person since December 2019 and I’m really excited to be going because online conferences are a struggle for me. I need to be in a room filled with people who are excited and fascinated with what other scientists are doing. This is where my brain space is right now, planning and packing.

The summer before I started my senior year of high school, I was away at so many different camps that I was only home for about two weeks before school started. There was a time when my summers were filled up with travel. As an adult, that shifted because I was no longer held to school time calendar, at least not until Michael came along. Summers are the only times he can travel and it seems like we fill up every summer with it. This one is no different. We’ve been to camp. We’ve spent time at a lake house. There’s a quick getaway planned in August to see Andrew Bird in St. Louis. Michael and the Cabbage are tagging along with me next week and playing tourists while I play science. I did schedule in some breaks from the conference for myself so that I can meet the two of them for dinner or lunch, as well as some tourist time of my own.

I’m grateful to be able to travel again for science reasons and I’m grateful that I can drag Michael and the Cabbage along. I am grateful for all the travel we get to do in the summer time, but I am aware of how all of my travel seems to be limited to this one season. So I am making plans to remedy this with some solo adventures. Solo adventures used to be a common, unquestionable thing that I did and not just after Chris died. We were both really good at the practice of JOMO. It is time that I allow myself to do these things again without worrying about hurting someone’s feelings by taking off without them.

Look at me, securing my own oxygen mask.

WHERE WE ARE

This is very simple and almost too on the nose to share, but I’ve been struggling with writing for this space and my brain is trying to process all the things that I have schedule for the month of September. So when I saw this quote from Calvin and Hobbes posted in my timeline, I sat back in my chair with my cup of lukewarm coffee and said to myself “shut up, Universe. I don’t have time for your intervention.”

We’re so busy watching out for what’s just ahead of us that we don’t take time to enjoy where we are. - Bill Watterson

Last weekend, Kelly hosted an August edition of Camp Wildling. I did not attend this one, but I’m still a part of the Facebook group so I’ve been seeing the posts from August camp rolling in with pictures and expressions of joy and gratitude. I had a moment of straight up jealousy and disappointment for not being there. Then I reminded myself that the October edition of Camp Wildling will be here before we know it and I am going to be at that one. Michael has even taken time off to go so we can take the camper and I have visions of our little pop-up set up in the RV section of camp, our camp chairs set up under the awning and my little camper lights decorating the outside. I was also looking at everyone’s pictures from camp and thinking about what that space is going to look like in October. I cannot wait to teach my photography class because I know we will be in a spectacular setting. Oh, the dreamy sunlight of Fall, plus the golds and reds of the leaves. Swoon.

But September sits between me and Camp Wildling and September is booked.

This week has been slow and hot. It’s been so uncomfortable here that I finally broke down and made myself an iced latte. I despise cold coffee, but I thought maybe I’d give it another try. Nope. Still despise cold coffee. It’s like drinking a glass of cigarette flavored milk with ice in it. It’s just not for me. I am currently in the waiting part of the hurry up and wait that is science, but instead of really taking advantage of the quiet stillness, I’m feeling bad for sitting still. Instead of basking in the stillness of right now, I’m thinking that something is wrong with me for just sitting around. I should be enjoying this moment before all of the activities of September and October start rolling in.

My new friend Rose taught us all June campers the term JOMO. Instead of fear of missing out, you experience the joy of missing out. Today I am embracing the idea of JOMO.

June and August editions of Camp Wildling sold out fast. I expect the same thing to happen for the October camp. October camp will be the 14th through the 17th and tickets can be purchased here at Camp Wildling website. The Ozarks in the Fall is beautiful. Camp Wildling is magical.