Relationship Lexicons

Talking to my valentine today I realized how much of the language we were speaking to each other was personal. Our lexicon is a creation of our combined history. No one else would necessarily understand what it means. It's like a secret joke but not always intended to be funny.

And then I realized that this is common with a lot of relationships, romantic or not. It makes all of these relationships super-fun. It triggers a commonality between us - and a connection that we can tap with one simple word. Like super-fun. That "word" takes me instantly to Wild Iris and one of my favorite 5.9 climbs. I can never remember its official name, so I started calling it Super-Fun. And my climbing friends know what that means. Know that when I say that phrase I'm probably already bouncing up and down. Even if I'm not referring to a climbing route.

Today I appreciate all of my lexicons (and the relationships that go with them). Cup full.

A New Hope

In the last week I've seen references to Martin Luther King Jr., Lincoln, FDR, Johnson, and finally, today, Woodstock to describe the inauguration of our first black president.

But I've decided that it really needs to be compared to Star Wars. It's the reference for my generation. A New Hope. You know the scene in the first movie ... the celebration after Luke destroys the Death Star where Leia gives Hans Solo and Luke Skywalker and Chewie medals with big music, lots of people, and cheering. Darth Vader (aka Karl Rove in my version of this analogy) has gone spinning into space and the rebels have won. Yooray!

But what you didn't know when you first saw the movie was that there were two more movies worth of trouble - and that Darth Karl Vader would return. Fighting on ice planets and moons with Ewoks and zingers like unexpected parentage and lost hands. Not good. But they made it through and we will too with hopefully better hair.