Confession: I used to be a conference junkie. I adored big gatherings of a lot of people and famous people showing up to entertain and educate us minions that paid big bucks to attend. Most of the conferences I attended were in my Christian youth. It was my drug of choice. I guess I can be grateful. It saved me from a lot worse addictions that were floating around during the late eighties.
I was socially challenged back then and it gave me an opportunity to be around people but not in an an intimate gathering way. The music was intoxicating and the speakers were gods in a way. What they said was gold for a teenager trying to find her way in a world that didn't always invite her into it's space.
Fast forward thirty years and I find myself feeling that addiction again. Only this time, I don't have the opportunity to ditch my life and hop on a plane to Ontario... or even Calgary.
But that doesn't mean I can share space in Authentic Lent for two conferences that I wish I could go to.
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Let's talk BAHACON in Sarnia. I have already highlighted this past month four of the faces on the poster. Kate Cohen, Joshua Bowen and Megan Lewis and David Fitzgerald. The lineup is incredible and it's in Canada!!! Can it get any better than that? Well, maybe... it could be closer... like Edmonton. But even if it came to Edmonton, there might be a challenge for me to attend. That would be a little farther from my closet than I am comfortable going right now.
This week I have more of the BAHACON speakers on my lineup. Seth Andrews, Hehmant Mehta and Abby Hafer. (and maybe even a few more.)
As much as I am oogling over the lineup of speakers, I know that the most value for me would be to find myself in a place around other people that may have a similar journey. Maybe there are others who go to a conference like this to find kindred spirits. Maybe there are more closet dwellers like me that just want to have a weekend outside of their secrets to experience acceptance and understanding for who they have become. I hope some find there way to BAHACON then. I hope others can find the freedom to be who they are and find friendships that they can take away from the event.
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A little closer to home, there is another conference. But for me... still too far away to invest in attending. Western Canadian Reason 2024 Conference is in Calgary. This one was more tempting as I could have done a day trip to "Cowtown" for the Saturday. But it still requires a farther journey from my closet that I can go right now. It means outing myself officially.
Maybe one day I will find myself on a plane to Sarnia to BAHACON, or even find myself driving to Calgary to connect with the Rocky Mountain Atheists. I hope so. I think there are a lot of amazing people that show up at these conferences, and I would be very lucky, even "blessed" to meet them.
