Vampire Vocab

Is it odd that I’m writing a BlogHer ’10 wrap-up post before the parties are even over? Well, last year my post was about the feeling of community I got at BlogHer ’09. It was the post that made me a Voices of the Year finalist (yea!).

I loved BlogHer again this year, I even got to hug Lisa Stone. (Again, yea!) The swag suites were wonderful (especially the Hershey’s, Jet Puffed, and Honey Maid Graham cracker suite and the Firefox suite), and the sessions were informative, and the two expo halls were incredible (I am so getting Just Dance 2). I liked it a lot. I met cool people, I was inspired and empowered. I ate half a million calories. (Mmmm…thank you Pillsbury.) But what I want to talk about is the elevators.

You all know that awkward time, waiting for an elevator that another person wants to catch, as soon as it arrives you both head for it, bump into each other, apologize and motion the other ahead. You stand in the elevator, and you wonder whether to tell them that their fly is undone. Will they be embarrassed? Will they wonder why I was staring at that area of their anatomy? Awkward… You get off on your floor. You probably never see the person again.

So take the same scenario, but make both the people bloggers at BlogHer. You exchange names and cards and complaints about the slowness of the elevator, or the stinginess of the room drops. You set to talking like BFFs and it’s not awkward. It’s not that hideous limbo space where you don’t know who this person is. Blogher bonds people faster than any sport or activity because even though you may be a mommy blogger or a life blogger, a book blogger, a money blogger, a miscellaneous un-life blogger, who cares? Because when you leave that elevator knowing that the person who you just shared a piece of yourself with, you may never see again, it doesn’t matter as much, because you know one more story, and this one is different. I figure “Why focus on the bitter, when this moment is so sweet?”

I was at a writing lab, and one of the panelists said “nothing is truly fiction”. All these personalities, all these dreams, hopes, goals…they are the future of any character I ever write. So I might see you next year. And I might not know your name. But I want to thank you all.

This isn’t going to be a sappy post about community, or love, or a funny post about swag and good times. I think what I gained from BlogHer last year was the ability to hold on to a feeling, the feeling of community and acceptance. I’ve grown and I think that what I needed this year was the ability to let go. I might love to talk to you, but nothing is forever, and a hotel only has so many floors.

I can’t cram all of BlogHer into one elevator (though sometimes it felt like that was the case), and ride to the top of the Hilton and then back down. I guess, letting go is sometimes more merciful than holding on to something until it grows stale in your hand. I learned this year that beauty, laughter, love are fleeting, but when they fly away, cherish only the time you spent with them as they nestled in your palms.

I think I appreciate elevators more, now.

This entry was posted on Saturday, August 7th, 2010 at 9:45 pm and is filed under Life, Ramblings, Writing.
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