A lot to catch up on

Dear Friends,

It has been a very full couple of weeks! I won’t attempt to do it all justice here. But I am all aglow from it.

The main thing is of course Motormorphosis. Wow! It gets better each year. The time with old friends and new was so heartwarming. And I love the energy of the conference! I learned a lot from my peers and was able to share a lot as well. I met so many of you! Thank you for saying hi.

Special congratulations to my dear friend Gregory C. Tino! He was chosen as this year’s Landen Bosak Advocacy Award winner. I loved being part of the team that announced his name. If you don’t follow him on Facebook or YouTube yet, I suggest you do.

It is so meaningful for me to meet any of you, but meeting young spellers who look up to me is what makes me feel the most moved. I am so processing what it means to be for them the figure that I so wish I’d had when I was a kid. It is powerful and almost overwhelming in a good way.

And then the travel part was so smooth. We were all a bit anxious about the possibility of another panic attack on the plane. We were prepared, but it was still on our minds. But thankfully, I was able to keep calm. It was a relief!

I also worked on more skills for being more independent in the hotel. The main thing was putting away my worn clothes after showering instead of leaving them on the bathroom floor for Tara or my mom to pick up. It went well! I felt pretty proud.

I enjoyed a gym session and some nice outside walks. I think I am starting to be a truly middle-aged man, because I sincerely preferred working out and quiet early nights to staying out late with friends. I loved getting into my pajamas by 8 pm on the last night! But I did have lots of fun with friends, too.

Then I came home and celebrated my 41st birthday. It was nice and relaxed! I am feeling more positive and grounded then when I turned 40.

This has been a full and happy couple of weeks! Thank you all for being with me.

Your Friend,

Danny