The Working Girl

This past weekend I went to the podcast festival, Now Hear This and had a blast. I went with little expectations, it was the inaugural event and now I only wish I had more than three days to talk to everyone I went to see. I never thought in going that this was in anyway work related but I had a defining moment while attending. I was lucky enough to meet some of the producers and stars of the shows. I have to admit that sometimes the starstruck takes over but I was reminded by the casual nature of the festival that these people are just people doing a job. I feel like I have spent so much time with some of these characters, their goofy, serious and straight forward, their comical and in your face. Given that I've been listening to some for more than five years, it's more than just a obsession. I've made it a part of my morning, workout and winding down routine so I can listen to what's going on in the world and enjoy long and in depth interviews and pop culture round table discussions.

 It was an experience and  I am so glad that I convinced myself to go. Most of my time was spent waiting right outside the door before each show. As we watched crew members and the podcast hosts walk in and out of the room you could see the irritation on their faces. They were irritated by the constant flashing of phones and being asked to take pictures. While I did take to social media, I took one picture with one of the guests. I wanted to talk to them. I didn't need the physical proof that I was there and I wasn't constantly posting. I wanted to pick their brain, ask them about the early conceptual stages of the show, why they took to this platform and what it's like to work nearly full time in podcasting. One of the producers I met and actually spent a lot of time with asked if I wanted to join his crew after the festival to get drinks. It was flattering but I didn't take the offer, I wanted to respect the boundaries between myself and the writers. They had to be exhausted, people were flying in from all over the country. And that was that.I didn't even realize it but I was networking at an event I went to enjoy! When I got into work yesterday, I had an email from that young producer and it totally made my day. He gave me what I needed most - inspiration. 

It's been near an eighth month hiatus for the blog but believe me it's on my mind everyday. I'm in a place where I'm constantly questioning everything and everyone around me. I'm still figuring things out when I thought I had all the answers. Remember when I pointed out that we (or more specifically me) are more than our jobs, I tend to forget that a lot. These people, these writers that I fell in love with over the weekend reminded me of just that. There needs to be more life in my day, I spend almost every hour of the week consumed by work. There's something I've been wanting to say for awhile now, I've lost the love and joy in what I do. There it is, out loud and now etched into this space. I've given a thousand percent on the job and I feel nothing. There's more to the story but that's where I'll leave you. Rejection and failure is constant, it builds character and it's good for you. Perseverance is key. Love, joy and happiness is everything. And permanence, nothing is certain in this life, except death. 

Just when I thought opportunity was around the corner, doors have been slammed in my face. So, I've been handling rejection very maturely with chocolate, wine and binging episodes of Revenge.  And then this weekend happened and possibility seemed very real. The conversations, the smiles, the passion and laughter. It put me at ease. For the first time in nearly a year, a connection was made between a girl and a stranger. That stranger gave me the advice and inspiration I needed to hear. I was surrounded by passionate people. A passion for writing, story telling, connection and communicating with one another. I never knew this space where I've been logging in post after post, time and sweat has been reviewed by some of the people that were presenting this past weekend and they each gave me words of wisdom, constructive criticism, motivation and inspiration and I already feel better.

So in case you're wondering if I'm half way out the door with the blog, I'm not. I'm still here. I want to be real with my readers and with the content I would like to produce - it takes time, planning and prioritizing and I'm working on it I swear. If you've made it this far, I applaud you. Every once in awhile, a long post is needed.  I'm hard at work with several projects but next year will be the seventh birthday and I have big plans for Sit and Stay Awhile. I hope you continue to read the blog and make sure to follow along on social media: facebook, instagram ,snapchat: sitstayawhile.

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