FULL CIRCLE

I am continually amazed at how the circle plays such an important role, not only in my life, but in life in general. This time it is about completing one circle in life and the start of another.

In 1979, I graduated from TCU in Ft. Worth. In 2009, my oldest daughter Madison graduated TCU. This year, 2012, my youngest daughter, Kelsey, is graduating TCU. It is not as if I am some big Horned Frog alumni, it just worked out this way. What it has provided is some interesting opportunities for growth for me.

After I graduated, it was years since I returned to Ft. Worth, and was probably when Madison was looking at colleges in 2004-5. Other than the obvious building changes, the biggest difference was when I went to TCU there was no cell phones or personal computers. My daughters would ask me how did we know where to go on weekends…. where everybody was hanging out. Simple, we had 3 or 4 go to locations we would visit until we found our friends. One of those destinations was The Oui Lounge on a circular drive (interesting) near TCU….it was our smoke filled, pool table and dart board hangout bar (yes the drinking age was 18 back then).

This past Thursday, I went to Ft. Worth to celebrate Kelsey’s 22nd birthday and to go to her awards ceremony at the Neeley School of Business. When we finished dinner on Thursday, she said that we should go to The Oui Lounge for old time sake. It has just been purchased and was renovated but they did not change the exterior, just opened up the interior. Of we went and as we pulled up the parking lot, memories flooded in and I even shared a few stories with the door man on how we used to tie ski ropes to the back of cars when it iced over and pull each other around the circle behind our cars (Kelsey loves that story).

Over the next few hours, I completed a long 35 year circle from when I went to TCU and when Kelsey graduates this spring. I had the most wonderful conversation with Madison about her life and work and I really got what an amazing adult she was. I also saw how Kelsey has grown and is now undertaking going to Australia for an internship when she graduates for 6 – 12 months. Kelsey knew everyone there just like I used to and she introduced me to a really cool friend of hers, Zac, and we talked “old school” music for a good while. It was a special night.

When I was in yoga this morning thinking about what I wanted to write, it also hit me that of all bars we could have gone to, we went to The Oui Lounge. Think about it, my girlfriend is from France……I wonder if at some level I knew that back then……well on to the next circle.