I Could Not Believe My Eyes—We Are Flying So High
The 2011 AOTA Conference was unbelievable. In fact, it was so invigorating and I was “flying so high” throughout it that it has taken a month for me to get back to earth and my old grounded self. In 2010, about 6,000 individuals attended the Annual AOTA Conference, but in 2011, over 7,700 did, and the conference hall was filled with high energy as we danced in the aisles before plenaries, soaked up valuable state-of-the-art information in the sessions and workshops we attended, celebrated the outstanding accomplishments of our peers, and let loose at the many parties and receptions that were embedded throughout the four days. As we march forward to achieve our Centennial Vision, our troops are amassing and pixel power is pulsating everywhere.
Occupational therapy is now also flying high—with our own special brand of professional comportment and commitment. I had the opportunity to hear from a development officer from a University who attended two health profession conferences this year—ours and another (I won’t disclose the name). He said our meeting was in stark contrast to the other: we were energized, they seemed passive. We were ebullient, they seemed desultory. We were euphoric, they seemed bland. In his eyes, the collective presence of occupational therapy practitioners was off-the-charts wonderful, as were the abundance of opportunities the conference offered.
Believe me, these days our profession has a special luster and it is because of each one of you.