Doors

    Long long ago, I took a Junior Year Abroad at the University of Kent at Canterbury. (That was the name back then, though they've since dropped the "at Canterbury." It's still there as far as I know, however.) It was set up as a group of colleges, each with its own building, each consisting of classrooms, dormitories and common rooms. The ones I stayed in also had dining halls, though I don't think all of them did. In other words, being a very new university, they were playing at being Oxbridge. I don't think they got very near their mark, but the setup worked pretty well on its own terms.
    UKC was where I had what the network TV of the time would have called my "very special episode." The college I was living in at the time made you pass through a lot of portals, mainly double doors, to get anywhere. The girl I was going to see lived in the same college, but at the other end. So I had to cross the dining hall to get to her. And I remember all those double doors seeming to have some otherworldly significance. It was like (to be a lot more earthly) the opening credits for "Get Smart!" or "Mystery Science Theater 3000."
    Every door or set of doors I passed through seemed like its own decision, or the underlining of a decision. Today I got my dad out of the nursing home for his first weekend pass. There were only two doors we had to go through, but I got much the same sense, even just on the drive to come pick him up. Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!