Superficial Joy

I had a brief interlude in Dallas, my unofficial port of entry and exit in the United States. Aside from lounging in front of the tv in "soft clothes", playing games and eating pork, here are the highlights: I was collected in my aunt's new car! A year ago I left Dallas around the same time but utterly paralyzed with fear. The drive to DFW was amazingly anxious. We took a selfie, said our goodbyes and I went on my merry [read: terrifying] way. I felt that fear of going off the high dive when you don't really want to mixed with a fear of being forgotten, seasoned with a little worry about being laughed at. The economy seat I was in was so claustrophobic I asked for an upgrade to Business Class. I would have gladly paid the $2000, but there were no seats available. The terror continued as I walked down a tunneled,  air conditioned stairway to exit the plane and when the humid, hot air hit me I wondered what I had done to myself. A completely cavernous feelin...