20141026.0813

Oh, what a joy it is to have woken up in my own bed!

I doubt not that it can be guessed from the brief snippets I have posted in the past few entries, as well as the skipped day, that I have been away. I was, in fact, in the Texas Hill Country to present a paper at the South Central Modern Language Association conference (once again) and to visit family (since I was in the area). It was a good trip; the conference went well, with my paper being received much more favorably than I had anticipated and a colleague and me appointed to leadership positions at the next conference, which will be in Nashville. Seeing the family was also good, although, as noted, Ms. 8 did end up taking some kind of cold (and giving it to her father).

Even so, coming home is always a pleasure for me. Much as I love The Work and my people, I fare better when I am where I ought to be, in that place into which I have extended myself and made part of me, as I have discussed at least once. Knowing where things are without having to look for them and being able to call upon present resources without worry are things I appreciate. And, as I have noted, I construct my home-space as an externalization of myself, so that for me to be away from it is to have my being divided; to return to it is a repatriation of myself to myself, so that I feel more nearly whole. (I say "more nearly" because my wonderful Mrs. and Ms. 8 are both still away, and both of them have a part of me, as well.)

Glad as I am to be back at Sherwood Cottage, though, I realize that there is much for me to do to get things back to how they ought to be. The trip took me away for a week, so I will have much grading to do, beginning soon after I finish posting this piece. There is also freelance work for me to consider, and I am certain there are developments in my L5R RPG activities that will need attention that only I can provide. At the very least, I will not be bored; I have a surfeit of stuff to do. But that is a regular thing, as it happens; there are always many things to do, and rarely does the time suffice to them all. Particularly with a mild head cold...

Still, if I am to make the attempt to do all things for all people, I am better off doing so here in my home than elsewhere. I may not have *all* of what I need for The Work and the other work that supports it, but I have much of it, and I have the comfort in which to work swiftly, well, and long. And that having is not something for which I am ungrateful. Rather the opposite, in fact, is true.