Today was my last day working in Colorado Springs. I fly out early tomorrow morning.
Because I am so passionate about InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator, etc., about the graphics industry, and about sharing my enthusiasm for these things with others through teaching classes, I often bond with my students. On many occassions students treat me to lunch or go out to dinner with me after class. I’ve made quite a lot of friends from this work. Leaving, as I must inevitably do, is often somewhat saddening for me.
Still, never have I shed a tear for, much less during, a class. Today I couldn’t stop the tears.
Oh, I wasn’t sad. I was laughing so damned hard for so long that tears streaked my cheeks.
The whole group was like that most of the day. After lunch (no alcohol for anyone, mind you), we were busting a gut. My sides still ache hours later.
It was one of those group laughs where someone is doubled-over, about to topple out of her chair; someone else does; another person is smacking the table, begging for relief, and; everyone is laughing so hard they fall silent. Then suddenly the silence is shattered by the desperate, ragged drawing of a breath. Guffaws follow, fading away to silence once again as laughter grows too loud for sound.
There I was, gripping the sides of my podium workstation for support because my legs had abandoned their post. My face burns, my jaw aches from being stretched to its gaping limit by unheard laughter, and my eyes squeezed against the unbearable humor. Still, tears broke free, fairly steaming on my cheeks.
I haven’t laughed that hard in years! Oh. My. God. It was a riot. Photoshop is fun. Teaching Photoshop is fun. For most people, learning Photoshop is even more fun. But there was such a chemistry between this group and I, that this Photoshop class almost immediately crossed the boundary into hysterical, start to finish.
Their jokes, my jokes, sporadic situational humor–it was all perfectly amusing. And, through all the laughter, we hit all of our training goals–and more–which is a wonderful accomplishment on its own.
With few exceptions, each gig gets better and better, each group of students more interested and interesting than the last. This last class, though, I think will be difficult to top.