Introduction
It seems time is constantly playing tricks on me. The months, then weeks, then days leading up to the annual health conference passed with such exacting slowness I could have used a second to slice a tomato. I was so nervous about attending the conference and meeting everyone. I have been at CCNH for a long time and my name is everywhere—on diplomas issued in the mid 90s to signing off on weekly e-mails to 10,000+ readers, and all over the Web site in between—and I began to wonder what kind of preconceived image students and graduates have of me. The pondering made me a twitching bundle of nerves in the days immediately before the conference.
If time isn't tricking me, then it's surprising me. The saying goes "Timing is everything," and that could not have been more true than my initial meeting with presenter Denise Lamothe at the conference. Having just checked into the Peachtree Wyndham, I was walking toward the elevator, road weary and loaded with luggage, when I saw Denise walk through the doors adjacent to the elevator. Now, the reader must keep in mind that Denise and I had not met prior to the conference but that I know her beautiful face as well as I know my co-workers' faces because I have worked with Denise's photo and Web site while performing my job.
"Hello, Denise Lamothe," I said as we met. Denise looked confused for a split second until I said, "It's me, Tara. I'm sorry—I forget that just because I have seen your picture 100 times at work that you really have no reason to know who I am!"
Denise laughed and hugged me, and then she told me at that exact moment as she was walking through the door, she was thinking about how much she was looking forward to meeting me and putting a face with the name behind the newsletter. We marveled for a moment at how the universe works and then agreed to meet up later on because I needed to get ready for the opening night celebration.
"Each of you is a host or hostess," Kay Channell reminded us in a final staff meeting before the conference. With that as my mantra, I entered the Peachtree Ballroom area ready to meet and greet. The first student I met was Anne Price, who was sitting outside the ballroom on a bench. She knew me from the Web site, etc. and was so excited to be at the conference despite her hectic week of just moving to Atlanta.
Because meeting and talking with Anne was easier than I anticipated, I decided that whenever someone walked by sporting a tag with a name that I recognized, I was simply going to stop them and introduce myself.
The strategy worked well. I think I met at least half of the conference attendees by the time the event was over. I shared personal stories with the amazing JoAnn Stovall and discovered how much two very different people can genuinely understand and appreciate each other. I learned about the benefits and the gastronomical sophistication of the raw food diet from the perpetually youthful Kornel Lacinski. I shared laughs and took pictures with Thi Hoang and Arturo Mesquite, who don't know any strangers!
Each student or graduate who took a moment to talk with me fueled my personal and professional fires. Once again time was playing a game with my perceptions. Although the days at the conference began early and ran late, the long weekend sped past me. Before I knew it noon Sunday had arrived and I was saying my good-byes and, unexpectedly, looking forward to next year's conference.
The lesson here is not a new one: time is relative to circumstances. The circumstance at hand is this issue of the Holistic Times and it's full of post-conference reviews and news. Make some time for enjoying an afternoon tea and a bit of newsletter reading.
Tara N. Brown, Editor
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