I had plans to get stuff done this afternoon.

Actually, I did get stuff done. I baked chocolate chip cookies, then sat down to learn a new song. Then I looked at my computer - Alvin, from CMN, had sent me the pictures from the conference!!

There went productivity. There were literally hundreds of pictures, and I looked at them all. There were even half a dozen short video clips, and I watched those too. Why? Because as hard as I tried to convince myself otherwise, CMN is much more than a professional conference.

First of all, you try putting yourself in the midst of 90 of the most loving, supportive people on the planet and see if you don't find yourself softening because of it. Then try getting those doctor-recommended "Eight Hugs a Day" (as mentioned in the song) and seeing if gosh darn it, you don't feel just plain lighter for it.

Yeah. I'm a functional adult. And I work very hard at it, thank you very much. But 3 days of these folks is more than enough to break through that... which is why I keep going back. It's a risk, and re-adjusting to the world can be a challenge. But it's worth it.