DORMITORY LIFE.

And My, Oh My!  How different dormitory life is now than it was for the likes of me.

A recent New York Times article spotlighted a dorm room of two young women entering their freshman year at the University of Mississippi.   It set me back a bit.  It did not, however, TAKE me back.  The differences were simply too vast.

Dorm rooms are no longer just places to put your books and your head.  They’re decorated. To the nth degree.  Often with help from mothers, sisters, friends;  sometimes with guidance from interior designers.

Decorative touches might include wallpaper, microwaves, mini-fridges, drapery, couches, matching pillows and custom bedding.

None of that was even remotely consistent with my dormitory years.

Either way, dorm life should be a wonderful experience.  Plain-pipe-racks or over-the-top-beautiful, it’s ultimately about friendship.  And there are no friends like those made in school.

I personally appreciated the simplicity, the one-size-fits-all-ness of my various dorm rooms.  It was one less thing to think about.   The outside world and all its complexities were waiting.  And I was happy to keep them at bay as long as I could.