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Two weeks. Three conferences. Thousands of people. It’s good to be home.
Conferences are both enjoyable and exhausting. Some thrive in constantly being “on.” I find them exhausting. Not that I don’t enjoy the social interaction, the intellectual stimulation, and the rekindling of old and new friendships. I do find these occasions invigorating, within limits. But normally I’ll reach a point where I need to recharge in solitude, or at least relative calm.
Sometimes, like on a recent trip to Vancouver, I’ll find a quiet out-of-the-way place to open up the laptop and write…or stare off into the blue sky and azure waters, imbibing their energy into my soul.
Other times I’ve been known to sit in a sidewalk cafe, a glass of wine or single-malt scotch in hand, people watching as they glide about their business.
At no time does this feel lonely. People skitter along, sometimes engaging, sometimes simply smiling as we exchange glances but no verbal or physical contact, sometimes continuing on oblivious to the energy I’ve sipped from their presence. My world extends beyond me on terms that enhance, not sap, my energy.
Like a smart phone, a short time absorbing new life is enough to fire back up and continue on. Back to a world constantly being shaken, and yet stirred by the power of friendships and the forceful bonds of human interaction.
David J. Kent is the author of Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity (2013) and Edison: The Inventor of the Modern World (2016) (both Fall River Press). He has also written two e-books: Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time and Abraham Lincoln and Nikola Tesla: Connected by Fate.
Hot White Snow 
that’s a beautiful way to live. sometimes i wonder whether most of us bloggers need this type of space. i do. and it makes me content and strong.
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I know others who feel alone whenever they aren’t around the constant stimulation of others. It works for them. For me, I cherish my time to appreciate all there is around me.
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yes, i used to live in a huge city and never felt as alone. maybe i had missed already all the grass that caress now my feet, all the trees that capture the wind’s love songs but still give me plenty of space.
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It’s definitely good to get the recharge time. Conventions are exhausting (though I’ve never completed one sober, it might be the alcohol drain taking the toll),
Still, it’s a generally upbeat sort of exhaustion, Better than the other kinds.
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I have mixed feelings about conferences — I’ll confess to not being so good at sitting attentively for extended periods of time at presentations, and my professional relationships tend to be… professional. I have, however, done some fair writing during a few more monotonous ones. I wrote the “monarch butterfly” piece I posted on Gather during one (in Vancouver, ironically). 😉
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I have to agree with you on conferences, or at least on the conferences I’ve been going to for many years. The last two years I found the presentations to (often) be repetitive and not very innovative. I kept thinking: “Didn’t we already do that 20 years ago?”
But the Lincoln conference I went to after that one was actually amazingly good. The speakers were interesting, even witty and funny, and the crowd was completely engaged. I’ll definitely be going back next year (and hope to be a presenter the following year).
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You’ve exposed a fundamental difference between the pursuit of a “profession,” and the pursuit of a “passion.” I suspect the Lincoln conference represents the latter.
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I once had passion for the former, but it has been supplanted by the latter.
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Wonderfully written. I agree.
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Thank you, Pam!
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A perfect title, David. http://judydykstrabrown.com/2015/07/01/unsolicited-kindness/
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Thank you.
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