Joy to the World, All the Boys and Girls

Inspirational song: I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Out of My Hair (South Pacific)

Let me go on the record as saying I hate flying in and out of Dallas. I can't think of a single time I've ever come through here that the air wasnt rough. Not kidding, as we neared the ground and the wings kept waggling, I started adjusting how I was sitting so that a hard landing or worse wouldn't hurt as badly. I hear of weather closures here more than anywhere else I can think of, and I still remember with horror the night I spent on the floor under a row of seats aftet they ran out of hotel vouchers and cots.

As Dallas disappears behind me like a bad dream, I will continue to ruminate on my trip. Not every time I return to Colorado goes well, but this time felt very healthy. Cleansing in more than one sense. Two years ago, my daughter found a new roommate, a girl she sort of knew from marching band. We thought it would be great; they'd have similar interests and would get along. It took only a few months to realize how wrong we were. I'm not sure why my daughter allowed her to renew the lease. Possibly because she knew we needed that room rented to afford the mortgage on the unit. The passive aggressive hate between the two was toxic. A week before finals, the roommate moved out. I stayed in the vacant room so I could do a final inspection before returning her damage deposit. The day after graduation, my present to my girl was literally to help her wash the roommate out of her life. We scrubbed the kitchen, we deodorized the carpet, and I actually hand washed the layers of skin cells and dust from inside of the vacuum (that she had willfully damaged, along with the washer and dryer.)  We brought back out treasures, like a 100 year old tent rug a retired military friend gave her as a gift, which had to be hidden from the roommate's cats. Her sister and her boyfriend came over for dinner, and we had the happiest, calmest gathering that we've had in years. I finally feel like her prospects are looking up. It was lovely to see her so stress-free.

While we stood around waiting between the whole school graduation and the smaller departmental one, I noticed four young women dancing in the university fountain. Their joy was palpable. They posed for photos for their parents, and I found it all very charming. It seems like a good image to describe how my weekend went, jubilant and freeing. On that note, I leave you with how I saw those young women.