Connections

For the past couple of weeks I've been thinking extensively about connections. Job #1 has eaten my brain power lately as I prepare for connecting digitally with a classroom, as well as preparing for a conference session on digital interpretation...oh, and the conference itself. Inundation with school work and jobs 1 and 2 have limited my available time to foster my relationships with friends and colleagues. This is concerning. Upon entering the doctoral program I was told jokingly (only not really): see you in four years! No. I don't want to be that person.
This week's conference reminded me of the importance of maintaining those connections. Seeing colleagues and friends again after at least a year is beyond fantastic. Not only am I lucky enough to learn from these amazing people, but I get to make new connections and reaffirm old ones. Even if it's one week each year that friendships are renewed, or utilizing social media to keep track of what is happening in others' lives, connecting is immensely important.
And now the conference is drawing to a close. My session was moderately well received (guess it's difficult to connect about digital connections...especially with technical difficulties!). New and old friends are disbursing back to homes far far away. And I feel a bit sad. Saying goodbye is always difficult, especially after learning together, learning from, and enjoying the incredibly delightful company of these remarkable people.
I am looking forward to getting a little extra sleep. Ha! Who am I kidding? Sleep is for normal people! And I am most certainly not normal. But I hope that all my friends and colleagues don't feel neglected as I somewhat withdraw from my previous level of connection. It's not you, it's me. Wait, that sounds like we're breaking up. No. Connections are very important to me, and even if my friends and colleagues haven't heard from me in a while, I still think and care about them (you!) all very much.