The Morning After Story Chicago

One Day Beyond the Story Conference

So yesterday I trekked home from STORY–an event I’ve been part of…or an event that has been part of me…I’m not sure which.

The experience is already encased by a sweet sense of warmth in my memory, which means a morning-after blog post can’t get at the telling it deserves.

If you want to explore the event while my spirit settles in, though, you can start here:

• Tweets about STORY (#story10)
• The STORY photo feed
• Notes from my friend, Tim Schraeder

In the mean time, here’s what I’ve been up to since the curtains closed:

• Wandered aimlessly around Chicago with a dear friend…and the aimlessly part didn’t bother me at all. In fact, it’s the part I cherished most.
• Spent the four hour drive home glued to the phone, catching up with some of my most cherished peeps. Solo roadtrips fill my heart for this reason.
• Came home to waiting orange asiatic lilies, a counter-full of chocolate and two consecutive dirty diapers that needed changing (can’t win ’em all). I was told the emperor picked these goodies out on his own, but I think my husband may have had a small hand in it.
• Relaxed in sweet, sweet silence next to my husband.
• Woke my little emperor up  from his nap when I couldn’t stand his absence any longer. (See vid to catch a few seconds of our sappy reunion.)
• Read the book, You’re My Little Love Bug, outloud twelve times (it’s my favorite children’s book; I pretend it’s Justus’ favorite too).
• Held several impromptu dance parties during Fresh Beat theme songs.

In a 2-day span where every other word was either “STORY” or “DREAM”, I know a lot of people’s imagination lept to greatness: books to publish, screenplays to write, non-profits to start, websites to craft.

I have those too.

But the bulletpoints of the after-math–loving, believing, supporting, being loved, being believed in, being supported–those are an equally valid part of my dreams and story.

I tend to think that greatness is half the things you do and half the people you do it with.