to denver and back
in a few days, i’m heading west to denver, the mile-high city.
i was there once before, many, many years ago with a group from my middle school. we clinched the state championship in the ‘odyssey of the mind’ competition, and got to represent the great state of maryland in the world finals, in colorado. being an eighth grader and traveling across the country was a pretty big deal. add in the fact that we got to stay in dorm rooms away from our chaperones, and it quickly became a dream come true.
me and k.t. alone in a dorm room — we had big plans — we brought posters to decorate our room, and fashioned a flag made out of a wire coat hanger and a bra to fly out our window; we held late night meetings in our room and conspired with our fellow travelers into the wee hours of the morning. it was our first taste of freedom, and it was intoxicating.
not one of us wanted that week to end. but like all things, especially good things, we quickly found ourselves at the end of our time in colorado. we didn’t place in the world finals, but i think that was the last thing on all of our minds. we were all focused on the fact that we had to return to the real world — to parents and homework and siblings and chores and school. and it was with very heavy hearts that we all boarded the plane back to maryland.
i look back on that time and it’s hard for me to believe that it was twenty years ago. twenty years ago. those were magic days. i still remember the colour of our dorm room bedspreads, and the smell in the elevators to the vending machines, and the songs we sang along to on the radio — like it was yesterday. truth be told, i hope those days of freedom, twenty years ago, will always feel like yesterday.
colorado, i can’t wait to say hello, again.
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