Our trainer locked the door to the track.
Where we walk when weather, inclement.
He came to tell us it would be off limits two hours.
For the conference the university hosted downstairs.
From the course above, we viewed the gathering.
Tables, exhibits, box lunches.
Attendees, speakers dressed for the occasion.
Much like we did while in practice.
Who can count all the conferences attended?
Over a span of more than thirty-five years?
Every topic imaginable in our field.
Psychiatry, psychology, addictions, hypnosis.
Family therapy, leadership, supervision, ethics.
Sitting, sometimes for days, absorbing information.
Networking with colleagues.
In venues, close and far away.
Till the pandemic hit.
When seminars turned to boxes on Zoom.
It refreshes to see in-person meetings again.
Younger people learning like we did.
Though I remember my body complaining.
After long hours in a seat.
Wishing to move, to walk, to run.
At last I have the chance
to wiggle, twist, and step.
Hoping old age maneuvers
awaken youthful pep.
Lynn Benjamin
April 22, 2024