Dance Party Like It Is 1976!

 

Two of my college roommates came to stay at my house for a couple of days. We lived on Fifth Avenue in a cramped apartment in Saint Cloud with three beds in the bedroom, three towel racks in the bathroom, and three shelves in the refrigerator. That was 44 years ago. Saint Cloud State University had a reputation as a party college. We had a good time together even though we are older, can't see as well, can't hear as well, can't bend like we used to, and have doctors advising us to take it easy. We laughed loud and often as we recalled our younger days when we could party all night and still go to college in the morning. We had some great moments. Like when we realized that one of my roommate's offspring lived in this house four blocks from mine that was involved in a fire where a teen saved the lives of her family. I wondered what happened in that house.

Or at lunch today when one friend is trying to take a selfie with all three of us but the other one waits until she hits the shutter to give her bunny ears. This is totally the kind of thing I would do but this time someone else is playing the goofy role and she does it seven. times. in. a. row! I laughed so hard I cried.

Or this moment last night when we shared some home made wine bottled into beer bottles. Or the moment when I won the dance debate on what is twerking and what is flossing. (Our lower backs have way too much arthritis for twerking). The moment where we watched the sun set from Park Point beach but were unable to see the rare blue full moon coming up tonight. Wait, full moon last night? That does explain some things.

Or this moment when the burrito of the month is not only delicious but it is the nickname of Offspring #2 when she was young.

Or this moment when we walked from the Rose Garden down to the lift bridge and asked a stranger to take our photo while we said "stinky cheese!"  I am the nerd wearing socks with sandals. We talked about what we learned from each other during that 1976/77 school year. One of them taught me to rub lotion on my legs after a shower. I did not know that. I do it all the time now and my skin on my legs is fully hydrated. Another one showed me that when a college kid tries to blend into a big party in our apartment without being invited you notice him, you jump up from your seat, you get in his face, and you ask, "Who do you know in this apartment?" He didn't know anyone and he turned around and sulked away. I saw all this from my position on the red vinyl love seat with a shocked expression on my face. I had never witnessed such an assertive reaction from a female before in my entire life. Actually, I had never hosted a college party this large before. Color me impressed! These two women taught me about emotional boundaries and I needed to hear their lessons.

I baked a loaf of French bread from scratch using the dough hook on my Kitchen Aid mixer. I wanted them to feel welcome. The French bread was successful. They felt welcome. Both said they had a great time even though one of them accidentally pulled the plug on the air mattress when she used the bathroom at 4 a.m. and had to sleep on the carpet. Clumsy much? I was sad to see them leave. Spending time with people who still like you even though they know all your secrets, your failures as well as your successes is life affirming. Also, we had a dance party and a sing along. Whatever shall we do next year? Please enjoy Maria Muldaur sing one of our favorite songs.