SOLSC '26 Day Thirty: FOMO and fiesta

 

Thirty-one days, thirty-one posts for the

Slice of Life Story Challenge

My librarian friends are posting pictures from the statewide library conference, and I'm experiencing a bit of FOMO.  Which is weird, because I decided long before I knew I'd be on medical leave that I wasn't going to the conference.  The timing was odd--a Sunday through Tuesday conference--and I really didn't relish the thought of going back to work on a Wednesday after the exhaustion I usually experience from long days of peopling.  It's also my last year in the school library, and I want to leave a decent amount of funds in the activity account for the next librarian.

The pictures are reminding me of all the learning that goes on in this conference:  the introductions to new books and authors, programming ideas, connecting with the vendors we use for furniture, collection development, databases.  Reminders that we librarians are so much more than a friendly face at the circulation desk.  But I won't be a school librarian next year; it's an identity shift that will take awhile to get used to, and not attending the conference is a small nudge to start thinking that way.

So what did I do to lift my spirits a bit?  I started planning my retirement/ 60th birthday party!  I spoke with the event coordinator at my chosen restaurant, and put out a "soft" invitation to friends on Facebook to get a headcount.  The responses I've received have been heartwarming. I've been fortunate to work with so many wonderful people over the last thirty-nine years; I can't wait to celebrate with them.