We had a wonderful trip to Louisville on Friday.  John and I left around 5:30am, arrived, and gave our presentation to a group much larger than what we had expected.  It went wonderfully.

There was no radio in the car we borrowed (the van is broken down once again), so we talked the whole way.  In depth conversation is something we rarely get to have.  We talked about what I’ve been doing with my reading of The Eight Human Talents.  I asked his opinion on the whys and hows of my frustrations.  I asked him about his.  It was so grounding and reassuring to get my husband’s perspective on the ins and outs of my days.  I totally understand why man needed a helpmate and vice versa.

One thing that he told me really brought it all home.  He shared with me how his mother never made him feel like he was in the way of her work.  She never seemed bothered by caring for him, and no matter what, the needs of her children came first and not reluctantly.  She was calm and didn’t show emotions that made him worry, but enough for him to understand her humanity.  He said she was always the safe place and the comfort.  That is a mother.  I think finding a rhythm to our day that comes naturally is so important.  I need to tune into, first mothering, then my personal goals.  Anticipation is something I need to work on as well.  It has spurred me on to find better timing for the writing that I do, so that I’m not putting myself in a situation to become frustrated with interruptions.

I have also came away from our trip very inspired and feeling light.  I never realized what a release it can be to share the truths of who you are with others who are interested in knowing.  Appalachia is so stereotyped, exaggerated, and over dramatized.  It is a place that is hard to wrap yourself around unless you’ve spent time here.  John and I could have talked to those people all day long.  It was like a purging.  We probably did talk a bit too much. 🙂

The inspiration came from sharing the floor with Crystal Wilkinson.  She is an Affrilachian writer, and was the presenter who followed our overview to speak about the African American experience in Appalachia.  I have been fortunate enough to workshop some of my writing with her, and she is such a nurturing individual.  Talking with her and others about literature and writing fuels me to continue on with my writing no matter the time-frame and no matter the result of my work.  Meaning I will continue even if it takes me ten years to complete a manuscript and it never gets published.

The opportunity to be a part of this was such a good thing for me.  It reminds me I have things to offer.  It helps me gain perspective and seeing the fruits of my work and even my relationship with my husband and children.  I think it would be helpful to the both of us if John and I scheduled a periodic “couple” day, if for nothing else but the conversation.  I also need to remember the blessings of days like this one when monotony tries to make itself a visitor.