What it Feels Like to Be in Your Element

2015 has been a pretty big year for me. There were subtle, big things: I got two new jobs (so I now, technically, have 3 jobs), and I’ve kind of gotten my major on a path where I can see myself with a job after graduation. Then there were blinding, small things: I saw Ed Sheeran, One Direction, and Shania Twain in concert. These were all things that seemed so important and life changing to me both as I waited for them to approach and while I was physically in the moments.

The One Direction and Shania Twain concerts were such huge events for me and my friends involved, that after each concert, someone who experienced it with me would say, “I wish we could do that all over again.” Then I was like, “…eh.” It’s not that I didn’t enjoy them — I did, so much! But I did the thing, checked it off, and was happy with the memory. At the end of the night, leaving the crowd of the concert, there was no way I would put myself through that again if the same conclusion would follow. I didn’t need to do it twice.

Right now, It’s 4 am and I’m lying in bed at the Minneapolis Hilton with day one of Nerdcon: Stories behind me, and all I can think is “I want to go back to 8 am and do yesterday again.” I want to do the whole thing, exactly the same way.

If you’ve never been to a convention, let me tell you a few things: sleep doesn’t happen, meals don’t happen, seeing the outside world doesn’t happen. So yesterday, I ate basically nothing and I was dead tired (because yesterday morning, too, I work up at 3 am), so all-in-all it took much more out of me than those concerts did, but I want to do it again. The exact way I did it yesterday. Even from my viewpoint right now, with another whole day of Nerdcon in front of me, I want to do yesterday again. And that is an awesome feeling.

I could write a huge post about all the amazing things that happened yesterday with all my favorite storytellers and the always-awesome nerdfighters. But, to me, this is more important.

I go to college and I often get wrapped up in the stress (so much stress) that comes with it, like money and classes and decisions about the FUTURE. But being here at Nerdcon, I’m in such a good mental environment. I’m with my people, and it’s the best mini vacation I could have asked for. I’m seeing my heroes discuss topics that resonate so deeply with me, and I feel so light and great. I’m writing this post to remember that feeling and hopefully find a way to reach it again when I’m stressed in the future.

Here’s to nerdfighteria and finding your element.

And here’s to day two of Nerdcon: Stories.