evidence

Posted March 11th, 2008 by Michelle

For the last six or so weeks, I’ve been involved in a pilot program for a new Master’s degree program in Organizational Development. Tomorrow night is the last session, which means my seminar paper is due at midnight tonight. I’ve just posted my paper- 3 1/2 hours under the wire- and I have four more chapters of reading to do before tomorrow, but all I really want to do is watch “Bones” and eat more delicious wheat bread.

I’m hopeful that the closing of this seminar, and the end point for some of my crazy work stuff, means the beginning of more time, more sleep, more bike rides, and less anxiety. More baking. Less working. But, wonderfully, every now and then, I get a very tangible reminder that my work means something. It’s been sort of a stellar couple of weeks for that kind of thing, and then, today, I got word that I was selected out of a pool of national candidates to receive an all-expenses paid trip to a national arts conference, through an “emerging leaders” program. The conference is in June, and I can’t think of a better early birthday present for that month. (Well… a pony, maybe, but where would I keep him?)

As I’ve made abundantly clear, I love conferences, even when they are boring. I love being surrounded by people who do what I do and care about what I care about. I love visiting cities where I’ve never been and spending an extra day to do a little discovery. And I LOVE that this time, my organization won’t have to pay for air fare, hotel, food, conference, NUTHIN! Beyond all of that, the learning tracks at this conference are so compelling that I don’t know what to choose: public policy? Civic engagement? Community focus? Marketing? These may sound dry; they are anything but. These tracks provide specific, compelling tools to help me do my job better. And I get to be in a learning space with, again, those folks who dig what I dig.

Right now, though, at this moment, all I’m thinking about is Saturday morning yoga, coffee, NPR, gardening, nap, massage, bath, evening bike ride, wine with friends, early to bed. In that order. But come June, I’m going to be awful excited about getting on a plane to Philadelphia.