No matter how organized I think I am heading into a conference and a trip, everything starts to unravel in the final days. I am *almost* used to this--I know that it is coming but when those phone calls, e-mails and problems start popping up, it can still take its toll on my peace of mind!Since I am not footloose and fancy free, any trip out of town means getting all my home ducks in a row, work ducks in a row, and tending to all the details to make sure 300 people have a relatively pleasant time for a full week. For those of you who travel, imagine that instead of just organizing your own travel and accommodations, you are arranging for flights, trains, shuttles, accommodations and other details for 2-3 dozen people, and then throw in the general conference details and 200+ registrants on top of that. I know there are those who coordinate much bigger events, but for the likes of me, this is plenty of stressful detail to fuss over!
So, the final few days tend to be a bit stressful. The moment comes, however, when there is nothing left to do but throw the bags in the van and get myself on that plane--when I step off in Frankfurt, I will need to be focused and ready for six straight days of work and attempt as much Zen-ness as I can muster. Believe it or not, I look as forward to coming home at the end of two weeks as I do to getting the conference underway and getting to visit other people and places.
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