Monsoons and Comfortable Silences

Last night was First Monday for The Group. People either arrived earlier (Jenny, Shane and Ali) or later (Fleur and Mary) than usual because of a violent thunderstorm that moved through the area from about five to six o'clock. Visibility was almost non-existent. Wind and mini-rivers on the sides of the roads made driving dangerous. Most of the usual suspects showed up anyway. John even joined us for the first time.

There was the usual spate of venting and catching up with each other. Some of us only see each other at these gatherings. Jenny asked her questions. We groaned, but had a good time answering. Then we'd go quiet for a few minutes. Some would stare off. Others nodded as if agreeing with something in their own minds. But it was never an uncomfortable silence. More of a collective breath-catching.

A half-hour after closing--the people at It's A Grind are really great about not throwing us out--we issued our final challenges to each other and walked out into a damp summer evening.

Now I'm ready to jump back into HM and get to the end. How what we do leads to renewed creative energy, I will probably never figure out. But it works.

Yes, Ali, I'll work on those earrings this weekend, too.