![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
And so I will be going back to school with a very happy heart. And a very happy body, of course.
I spent a nice night with Lucy and her charming kitten, in a very low-key way which felt much like hanging out at Carleton, though somewhat odd since of course we don't actually have so many chances to see one another nowadays. But it was also what I was up for at the time, and lovely.
And the next morning when we (not Lucy) showed up at the contact festival I started dancing and practicing listening to exactly what I wanted to be doing at any given time and did not stop, and it was so wonderful. I love very much the contact community here in Chicago, and also it seems in the midwest more generally. They challenge me to let down my barriers and share myself in a much braver way than I normally do, and so far I have not had any reason to believe that that is a bad idea. I try to overcome my shyness and walk up to new folks and start dancing or talking or cuddling, and every time I try is progress made. And every time I go somewhere it is easier to try, since people start looking familiar.
There was beautiful fog this morning, which I'm not sure is related. Except that it made me happy, and it was also wonderful to see people appreciating it.
Another good thing about the contact community is that there are people of many ages and life experiences, and it is so neat to talk with them. I spent a lot of time this weekend with a 9-year-old, though usually I am one of the youngest people around. He was pretty awesome. And it is wonderful to watch and learn from joyful people who've had so much more life than me to learn from.
I spent a nice night with Lucy and her charming kitten, in a very low-key way which felt much like hanging out at Carleton, though somewhat odd since of course we don't actually have so many chances to see one another nowadays. But it was also what I was up for at the time, and lovely.
And the next morning when we (not Lucy) showed up at the contact festival I started dancing and practicing listening to exactly what I wanted to be doing at any given time and did not stop, and it was so wonderful. I love very much the contact community here in Chicago, and also it seems in the midwest more generally. They challenge me to let down my barriers and share myself in a much braver way than I normally do, and so far I have not had any reason to believe that that is a bad idea. I try to overcome my shyness and walk up to new folks and start dancing or talking or cuddling, and every time I try is progress made. And every time I go somewhere it is easier to try, since people start looking familiar.
There was beautiful fog this morning, which I'm not sure is related. Except that it made me happy, and it was also wonderful to see people appreciating it.
Another good thing about the contact community is that there are people of many ages and life experiences, and it is so neat to talk with them. I spent a lot of time this weekend with a 9-year-old, though usually I am one of the youngest people around. He was pretty awesome. And it is wonderful to watch and learn from joyful people who've had so much more life than me to learn from.
