By the time you read this, it will be a couple of days past the end of my association’s Annual Conference. But today, as I write this, it’s a couple of days before the conference, and the plates are flying! Cancellations, last minute replacements, information requests in areas not in my realm of expertise…..

I’ve been doing this job for some time, but never get used to conference time. Sometimes, I go to the conference, sometimes I stay back, tend the fires and juggle the plates. And man, are there plates to juggle today!

Would I rather BE at the conference?  At conference, you arrive before the speakers, the attendees and the exhibitors. A day of unpacking, organizing, meetings and last minutes set-ups.

You’re up before the sun rises, and back at your hotel long after it sets. You sleep with one eye open, worried you won’t get up in time to meet the caterers and unlock the door so they can serve the staff breakfast. You are not hungry yet, but will be as soon as you are scheduled to be elsewhere.

You walk about a million miles in your hopefully comfortable shoes (God help you if you don’t bring any!). You check session rooms, distribute registration envelopes, take tickets, meet attendees, speakers, exhibitors and sponsors. Tired? You don’t notice. The energy that buzzes through the conference is exhilarating; everyone is having a great time, happy to meet you and like you, running on high.

Then, too soon, it’s over.

But I digress. It’s nearly five o’clock, and the fires are now out, the plates have gone back into the cupboard and the blessed weekend is almost here. On Monday, I’ll go back to editing/writing session descriptions for my association’s many upcoming conferences and help members who are, or wish to become, certified legal managers.

This is my job, which by the way, is not just the ‘day job’ I do to support my fiction writing; I actually enjoy it.

Still, I do wonder, if I didn’t work the ‘day job’ would I have more psychic energy to write fiction? Would I blog more, volunteer at a food pantry, spend hours at the library and go to lunch with my friends?

I’ve tried to imagine it. With retirement in the not so distant future, all I can say is, stay tuned….