WorldCON: International Friendships

I know. You’re probably getting sick of hearing about WorldCON about now. I don’t blame you. If you weren’t there, it’s hard to be excited about it. But I learned a lot of stuff, stuff that made me think.

You know what happens when I get thinking. I blog.

But I promise, this is my last post about WorldCON. At least, for this year. I can’t make any promises in the future.

Thing is, today I’m thinking about all my many new friends. It’s not like I haven’t had friends in other countries before. I have. I do. But I feel like my network of writer/fan friends has been extended exponentially. Ireland, England, New Zealand, Belgium, Austria—about every state in the US—the list is huge.

When I think of those countries, I automatically think of faces, names, real-life people who mean something to me, who spark memories and share common ground. People with whom I’ve made a connection. Even if I don’t remember all their names off the top of my head, I would remember their faces and where I was when I met them. Each of these people has enriched my life in one way or another, and I hope I have somehow enriched theirs as well.

So my thought for the day is this. Remember. Pay attention. Be in the moment. It’s a small world. No matter where someone is from, it’s entirely possible you’ll run into them again sometime. It happens to me regularly.

And I am always so glad when it does.

Prejudice? Who Are You Really?

If this post is live, then it's official. I'm out of town with my daughter's soccer team and didn't have time (or Internet connection) to schedule my blog posts for the week. It's entirely possible that I'm soaking in rays of sun while the rest of you are dealing with winter weather. It's also entirely possible that I'm freezing my tail off watching soccer in the rain. Depends on Mother Nature's mood, I suppose.

*crosses fingers and pays homage to the sun goddesses* Pleaseohpleaseohpleaseohplease!

But rather than leave you all hanging (since I know you live and die by my every post--not) I'm going to leave you with a question, which you may feel free to answer and discuss. (I will join in as possible--probably when I get home.)

For the sake of plotting (or not, if you want) let's talk about prejudices of a personal nature. What kind of preconceived prejudices have you (or someone you know) experienced and how did you overcome the long term effects of this not-so-accurate portrayal of what others think of you, in juxtaposition to who you really are?

*swirls fingers in a circle* Discuss. Enjoy. Contemplate.