January 19, 2004
Standing under the stars


Friday night offered my favorite kind of weather for walking: cold and crisp and clear. The kind of night where your voice carries for miles and miles across the open landscape. Karen and I arrived on campus for the weekend. We put on our shoes and scarves, grabbed the keys to the cabin and headed out into the dark chill. We wanted to walk around the old paths, re-acquaint ourselves with the campus, and look at the stars.

(I sometimes think that I retreat to Rome just so I can get my annual fill of stars, which are apparently unwelcome in Atlanta's smoggy skies.)

We walked for a long time, catching up on the news of the past few months. Karen lives in Tennessee, and I don't get to see her as often as I'd like.

As we walked up the path to the Ford Buildings, I asked her to name her favorite part of the campus. It's a complicated question if the campus you're talking about is the Berry College campus. To put it briefly, it's enormous. Something like 25,000 acres. It has rolling hills and rocky crags and quiet corners and wooded glens and babbling brooks. It has everything. It sprawls. It goes on and on.

We walked along briskly, considering the options. I was feeling magnanimous, so I gave her permission to consider the Ford Buildings as just one thing. The Ford Buildings are a rambling expanse of stunning Gothic-style buildings built in 1927. They contain dorms and offices and reflecting pools and great stone towers and an auditorium with stained glass. Everyone loves the Ford Buildings.


(picture lifted from last year's retreat to Berry College!)


We walked through the great stone arch at Clara Hall and paused in the deserted courtyard. Karen looked out over the courtyard for a moment and said, "You know, other colleges sometimes try to build Gothic-style buildings on their campus, but they really shouldn't. I've seen some of them, and they never look as good as ours."

I nodded appreciatively. Karen and I are of one mind in our fascist attitude toward Gothic-style buildings.

We kept walking, out to the edge of the field, and stopped to look back at the darkened cluster of buildings. Karen said, "I think my favorite part of Berry would have to be the fields. I think that's the best part."

The fields. I never would have thought of that. But that might have been the best answer anybody could've picked.

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This little retreat to Berry College is becoming a bit of an annual event for Karen and me. Last year was our first time to meet up. We also went for a similar evening walk last year, and I remember being filled with nostalgia and longing as we strolled along.

I remember thinking at that time last year that I'd be willing to trade a substantial lump of money to be back in college again, even for a few days, just so I could relive some of my college experiences. The experiences that shaped me, shook me.

This time, ambling along, I noticed that that longing — so strong last year — was completely absent. I didn't want to be back in college. Yes, I have nothing but sweet memories of those days — but I'm not willing to let go of any of the joys and discoveries and victories of the past 12 months to taste them once more. I didn't want to relive the past. I wanted to be standing under the stars with Karen. Which was right where I was.