The Road Less Traveled ...

"The truth is that our finest moments are most likely to occur when we are feeling deeply uncomfortable, unhappy, or unfulfilled. For it is only in such moments, propelled by our discomfort, that we are likely to step out of our ruts and start searching for different ways or truer answers."

M. Scott Peck 

God bless Scott Peck: PEA alumnus who, it should be noted, had an unhappy experience at Exeter, with its "Spartan atmosphere and almost vicious adolescent culture". 

Oh well. 

So we completed the hand off- F was nervous until he saw his friends, and then he seemed really happy. It helps that his room is twice the size as last year with a nice view over a tree lined path. We set up his bed and put away his clothes and he set up his printer; which was causing him problems. Then in walks this adorable kid, a friend I had never met, who says modestly that he might be able to perhaps, maybe, help. Great I say! Yes well it's kind of my job he said, I'm the tech consultant for the dorm (NASA more like it Thomas said). 

See photo below of him and F and some flying dried chicken. 

The chicken is part of a larger story- a symbol of the desperate attempt on the part of his mother to mother him from afar. I bought power bars and enough band aids for a preschool of blind kids; I bought water even though there is a water cooler directly in front of his door.

Most inexplicably, I bought many tubes of lotion for psoriasis: a condition Frederick does not have. I bought four rolls of tape; scented soaps; moisturizer for normal skin; and a kite. Then I put four decks of cards and a domino set in a drawer with a note on the outside that admonished him for not playing with them.

 "Stop playing on your phone!"

It wasn't until bought chicken jerkey in preparation for weeks on the space station, that I noticed I was losing it. And so I threw it at the boys while snapping this photo.

It just seemed like the right thing to do. 

On my jog I witnessed a family moving their son in: the sweetest, saddest tableau of a child leaving home; while the parents avoided their grief by focusing on carrying his fan. But unlike me, the mother was in full hijab. I was so taken by this and what must have been a terrifying moment - putting their kid into the arms of strangers- that I thought I should say hello. A one woman blonde welcome committee. Then I noticed for the first time that day, that I was in a neon orange jog bra under a see-through shirt; and maaaaybe I was in fact what they were afraid of. That their terror was of large, slightly past their prime blondes in orange bras. So I didn't.

(But ya just know Martha would have..)

The actual goodbye was as God damn sad as the one last year.

I really forced myself not to cry, as did F, and then he got on his skateboard and rode off into a literal sunset. It does hurt, I'll tell you. Luckily I remembered (I always do) this wonderful quote from -  Rabbi Menachem Mendel:

"There is nothing so whole as a broken heart" . 

True that. In fact all weekend I had moments of inspiration and clarity; and I even felt real pride in us humans. (And yes I watched the shit show of Donald Trump with Matt Lauer). 

I'm proud of our wee search for knowledge; I'm proud we fix each other's printers and smile at scared people. I'm proud some of us take genuine care of our friends. 

I'm proud of pine nuts and penicillin! Of duets with clapton and b.b. king! I'm

proud of pop chips and wifi on planes! And at this moment I'm proud and grateful for the song Boogie Wonderland. It is, much like guacamole- the cure for many broken things. 

Love yew.

....When the moon peeks over the mountains

Baby I'm gonna be on my way
I'm gonna roam this mean old highway
Until the break of day...

BB King