From you witty list, I have no doubt that you’re carrying notebooks and writing utensils wherever you go to get those stories written. I used to do this decades ago.

I didn’t write the following list of “rules” — wish I had –but they’re MY list now. Found them yesterday on the Internet. The title: How to Live to 100 – Starting Today. (I thought: Gotta do this so I can keep taking care of my daughter!)

The tips (condensed):
1. Learn from the pros: . . . Think more good thoughts, drink enough water regularly, breathe deeply daily, walk regularly, and have friendships.
2. Be in good spirits: The most essential live-to-100 tip . . . is recognize that you create your perceptions from the inside out.
3. Take anxiety and stress seriously: Don’t just tolerate feeling anxious, stressed, and overwhelmed all the time-find a solution.
4. Drink water: Start your day with 16 to 32 ounces of water. Fill your tank-your body-with water. If you think you’re hungry, drink water. We often confuse hunger for thirst.
(http://shine.yahoo.com/healthy-living/live-100-starting-today-155400805.html)

Richard, my oldest, went to his high school prom. When he announced his willingness to go, and his lack of a date, his female friends negotiated among themselves to find him one. After the details (time, cost, etc) had been carefully worked out, Richard ran home at lunch, cut a rose from one of our bushes, and then went to a pre-negotiated site to formally ask the girl. He enjoyed the dance, but it didn’t blossom into a romance, as she had hoped.

Becca attended both her junior and senior proms with about a dozen girl friends and several young men who were allowed to come as hangers on. It seemed that by then it had become quite standard for people to go with their friends, not necessarily with ‘dates.’ I think this is a very good thing, because people aren’t excluded because they aren’t part of a couple (as they were back in my day) and seriously, this is the prom, not Noah’s ark.

This also solves another problem that has cropped up recently. I’ve heard of several gigantic flaps and even a school canceling its prom because two girls decided to attend as a couple. Of course they deliberately announced this to create a fuss, but the grown-ups didn’t have to take the bait. As Rosa pointed out, why are they upset when a girl goes to the prom with one other girl, but not when she goes with six other girls. The school could have avoided a huge kerfuffle if they had simply announced that tickets were sold individually and that students were encouraged to attend as a class. (Class of ’11) for example. The school told the girls they could both go to the prom (hard to make a rule against that, right?) but that they couldn’t arrive together. Pointless. I would have encouraged everyone to carpool to save the planet. And then, to top it off, one girl wanted to wear a tux. UMMMM, if I have the choice between seeing a girl dressed like a hooker and a penguin, I’d pick the penguin any day. “Wear the tux, dear. You might start a trend.” But the adults insisted on reading all sorts of things into the dance that they didn’t have to.

There is still a lot going on at a dance. I’m guessing that the kids knew more going on than you saw–who looked at whom, who noticed whom, but still, it’s not a scene from Pride and Prejudice or Grease. Your empath is going to have to deal with texts, sub-texts, and maybe even text messages. Poor kid. Too many emotions in such a small place. He’s going to have to duck outside every so often just to breathe.

From what you observed, and from what I’ve heard, dances are now a general way to burn off energy in a group, while pairing off, setting trysts, and breaking up happens by text message (usually during class.)

If you’re ever in the Twin Cities area, let’s make sure to all get together!