Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Back from the Mountain Top

Here I am, back from my Creativity retreat at Lutheridge, near Asheville, North Carolina. What a beautiful part of the country!

People who saw me yesterday said that I looked rested and refreshed. I'll take those compliments, although I don't feel as rested as I hoped I would. My spouse and I drove to the mountains of North Carolina from South Florida, not a trip to a place that's right next door.

I always feel a bit of dislocation when I come back from travel, even when it's not a mountain-top experience. I look around my study and think, what was it I was doing before I left? And what should I work on first? Those poems that I created in April? Older poems? Should I send out one last mailing before all those journals stop reading for the summer? Write a book review?

Of course, there's laundry to be done, and I can't remember the last time I did proper grocery shopping. Maybe nobody does that any more. I used to create menus and shopping lists. That girl who did that seems like a distant cousin to my current life.

At least I don't have grading to do. That's one of the advantages to have more of the life of the administrator.

1 comment:

Shefali Shah Choksi said...

i envy you: if you feel dislocated, that means you REALLY left, got refreshed, so when you returned to your desk and kitchen, you wonder why you are there and what's expected.
i look forward to that feeling every time i return from a trip. there is comfort in knowing one left behind a life, which waited, and can be picked up whenever one is ready.
as i said, i envy you!