Every tree and plant in the meadow seemed to be dancing, those which average eyes would see as fixed and still. ~Jalal ad-Din Rumi

It was December when my friend Melissa found out that we could go to Yosemite for a 3 day, 2 night all-inclusive New Years party at a lodge for a low, low price. It was 10 minutes later that I had booked a room for 4. Plus our 2 dogs were allowed to come.

Between the parties with live bands and all you can drink beer, the four of us headed out to tour around the national park. There is an ice skating rink, lots of snow and some pretty incredible cliffs with water streaming down. There is also a meadow.

We had heard about a football game going on with all of the partiers from our lodge in a meadow all afternoon, but we forgot the name of it. The meadow. So Austin pulled into a hotel parking lot and Melissa went inside to ask the doorman if he knew where the meadow was.

Her conversation makes me double over laughing every time I think of it.


Melissa: Do you know where the meadow is?
Doorman: Ma'am, this is a national forest. There are dozens of meadows.
Melissa: There's a football game going on at one of the meadows - maybe... where is the biggest meadow?
Doorman: Blank stare.
Melissa: Well, is there, like, a "Special" meadow?

She got nowhere with this strategy and came back to the car, a little perturbed, and told us all what happened. I think maybe Alicia tore a stomach muscle and I snorted a hole in my nose from laughing so hard. Not at Melissa - not really. But at all of us, collectively. Not even one of us thought it may be futile to ask where "the meadow" is in Yosemite.