I had the time of my life and more so I decided to write about it
It was 2019, I was bored. The pandemic had hit and things were in unchartered territory. So I decided to throw myself out there in a way I had never done before. The world of public speaking.
I never really wanted to, nor did I ever think about putting myself out there until it was around 2018 that I wanted to speak at An Event Apart (RIP) and I thought that I could write up some accessibility articles to start off with and go from there. Little did I know.
Little Did I Know
I never thought I would spend four years speaking to people about accessibility and three of those years traveling to conferences speaking about accessibility (as well as other topics as well towards the end). It was a wild ride and sometimes a tiring ride at that with it's moments (Grand Rapids, Michigan to Kansas City, MO).
Little did I know I would end up meeting a ton of people and all of them are brilliant people in their respective areas and some of the nicest, most welcoming people I ever met. I never met anyone that I really did not like.
Whether it was MagnoliaJS or Devnexus to Beer City Code to KCDC I met a great group of speakers and a terrific bunch of attendees. Hallway tracks were always the best, post-conference days were always filled with adventure (especially the "Conference That Shall Not Be Named") and shenanigans.
Speaker Fam
My friends, the speakers I got to meet and mingle with, discuss many things, joke around with, enjoy a meal with, you are a phenomenal group of people that I will always be grateful and thankful for getting to know you and even after the events were over, following you and your work. I can't express how much fun it was.
My close 'support network', you know who you are. Whether it was a bad day and I was in my head, whether it was making sure I stayed on my path of sobriety, I love you all. sincerely, you were my lifeline and I am damn grateful for those moments you all got me out of my head just by being yourselves and taking the time out of your week to be there for me. I hope I reciprocated enough as a small return of payment.
The Hallway Tracks
If you were an attendee that came to ask questions, to thank me for my talk or workshop, to just chit-chat, thank you. You are the reason I was there, to educate you all on accessibility. If only one of you thanked me, per conference, or even as a whole, I did my job. I can't stress enough that these events would be there if it was not for the attendees (as well as sponsors and organizers, of course).
What Is This All About?
It looks like 2025 may be a wash and moving forward, I may be relegated. I may become a retiree and as much as I don't want to just yet, it has been a path of exhaustion for me. This time around has taken all the wind out of my sails. So many times, so many resumes, not one job. That may change, I am giving it the first 2-3 months of 2025, but if it doesn't pan out, it was a blast and something I will remember for the rest of my days.
✌🏻