Community and the Joys of Independent Travel

Last night, OH and I had a date! We went to one of the few nice restaurants in our town and had a late dinner, just the two of us. We split a bottle of wine, had some wonderfully fresh food, and talked. We rarely have moments alone, and so we made the best of it. He surprised me by stopping for ice cream on the way home, too. This is how I know I married the right man: it was HIS idea to stop for ice cream. My god, I am in love!

One of the things we talked about was each of our desire to take trips - separate trips - this summer. I want to go to BlogHer, OH wants to go to watch baseball in Seattle.

OH is planning a baseball trip - two baseball trips, actually - this summer. The first trip came about as a group of friends, but when people in his office found out they thought it would be a fun trip to plan through the company, so now there are two trips. He was worried I would be upset with him for being gone so much. My reaction was more on par with, "What, you're still here?". Let me explain.

I am happy to see him plan activities that he loves, and he loves watching baseball. I told him that when it feels like he is planning to be gone too much, I'd let him know. Right now, the two trips are not too much and furthermore, I think it's healthy for us to do our own things once in a while.

This brings me back around to BlogHer. I mentioned how I really want to go. BAD. The only problem is, I'm soon to be unemployed. That is: She Without a Paycheck. BlogHer is not free, nor is it prohibitively expensive. It is, however, terribly important to me to have the chance to go and meet wonderful people whose words I read on a daily basis (see sidebar). I want to expand my blog, which I'll have time to do when I am not working full-time, so it seems a great opportunity to learn more. OH is all for it, even though it means spending money right before we are on a tight budget. I am so grateful for his support for something that is important to me.

BlogHer was sold out for Day One, but I am attending the Day One cocktail party (meet drunk bloggers, yay!) and Day Two session and cocktail party. It looks to be a great event. I can't believe I'm actually going.

Blogging has already changed my life. Through the experience of writing down what are at times intensely personal thoughts and experiences, and reading other people who have done the same, I have learned that we are all one, big community. We are not in this alone. Motherhood, marriage, relationships, jobs, the daily problems of living; all of it is what brings us together. We can learn from one another and improve our own lives. Stay at home moms no longer have to remain isolated in their homes, nor working moms feel a sense of isolation from other women while in their jobs. We can all share and reach out to one another through this new forum which didn't exist in our mother's time.

In current times where people generally keep to themselves and often live in distant towns from family members, it is a powerfully comforting thing to enjoy this sense of community.