On my way out from work today I passed a woman in the foyer who turned around and said, “Kamilla?”
I turned around, said hello, recognized her but couldn’t place her right away.
“Did you go to any more of the writing group sessions?” she asked. Then I placed her: the interesting and funny woman I shared my first and only university-sponsored writing-group meeting with early last semester. The group I’d loved because were talking about WRITING and ideas about writing and publishing and research and I hadn’t had a space to talk about those issues for way, way too long. So I talked and talked and talked maybe a WEE BIT too much because it was so darn exciting. And though the group facilitator said she was going to get in touch about the next session, and though I checked with her a number of times, she never contacted me about a follow-up meeting. I assumed I’d been black-listed, denied access to a university service because maybe I was a bit too chatty and took over the group, or maybe she just didn’t like me.
“No! I thought I’d been kicked out because I talked too much!”
“Really! I didn’t go to any more either, and I thought I’d been kicked out too. I was telling my supervisor, I can’t take the rejection anymore …”
“I bought the book.”
“I did too!”
“Wow! High five!”
(small pause as she grapples with the fact that this supposed professional literally has her hand up in the air to do a “high five” and is waiting for her to reciprocate. Then she does.)
We talk more about our shared experience of feeling we were kicked out of the group, but still wanting something like it to move us forward in our writing. We agreed that she’ll get in touch with me in a few weeks when some of her work wraps up and that we can try and work through the book (12 weeks to writing your journal article) together. The writing group, all on our own. I’m psyched!
And earlier in the day, I had a lot more meetings than I usually do, and ran into a friend a couple of times, plus some chatty conversation with some faculty I know. Then on the way out, ran into a friend who’s studying/working on campus and got to talk more (hello there!). And headed to my car overflowing with energy and enthusiasm.
Being with people truly energizes me. Yes, I have my limits and do like alone time and sometimes don’t want to be social. But in general, interacting with people feels good to me. I love it. Good to realize about myself.