distracted

I’ve been a little distracted lately.

By Mexican palms and Mayan ruins.

By coconuts.

And cenotes.

The slightly loco part of all of this is that we flew to Mexico the same day that I gave my second homeschooling conference workshop. Which meant that the week before was a mash-up of preparing PowerPoint slides and buying sunscreen and Pepto Bismol.

I’d barely finished shutting down the projector after that workshop, when I found myself racing home to pack a bigger suitcase.

Which was exciting, but a little sad too. I’d put so much time into planning those workshops; it seemed a shame not to stop and ponder how they went.

So I’m pondering now. Basking actually. It’s such a buzz to be able to share ideas that I’ve been percolating and poking at for months with real people. (People who are stuck in a room with me for an hour and fifteen minutes and who can’t leave without looking rude, I should mention.) It’s a thrill to get people worked up about writing and their kids and their kids’ quirky interests.

I love it when a workshop participant nods along to something I’ve said. When another approaches me after a workshop to share her own family’s writing story. When a whole group moans and marvels after doing this exercise to see what it’s like to be a beginning writer.

(If any of you workshop attendees have stopped by, I hope you’ll leave a comment and say hello!)

So in the post-vacation glow (read: ocean of emails that demand my response), I’m thinking about how to keep a little of that workshop excitement going. Happily, I’ll be offering the workshops to some other homeschooling groups in the next few months. But I’m also trying to figure out how to share more of what I’m working on here, so I don’t feel stuck alone in my brain quite so often.

Today I’m going to make myself a pitcher of agua de jamaica, and think about some changes I’d like to make on this blog. (Inspired in part by a long conversation with my dear friend Emily, who designs websites for writers.)

I’m also going to finish unpacking my suitcase, winnow down my Mexico photos, and try to get the ants out of my beehive.

I’ll try not to get too distracted.