The comforts of home

I'm in Atlanta for the spring board of directors meeting of my national scholarly organization. It took awhile to get here -- strong storms moving through the city delayed our arrival -- but as soon as I got checked in, settled in my room, food ordered and a much-needed shower enjoyed, I was ready to enjoy some precious downtime.

That's the tradeoff for these work-intensive trips. The schedule is insane -- I have only one meal between now and Sunday noon that's not a meeting -- but in the few hours that aren't filled in already, my time is all my own. I can sleep, exercise, read, work, shop ... just as I like. I don't have to coordinate with anyone.

Next weekend Noel gets his chance. He's going to the Nashville Film Festival, and will have a number of mandatory events. But he'll also have downtime, time he's planning to use to accomplish a few things, and maybe some extra left over. I hope he gets that expansive feeling of being master of the hours ... even if it's only minutes.