Vacation is now synonymous with lake swimming, small-batch gin, board games, reading in Adirondack chairs and by the fire, and sitting on the dock at sunset listening to the loons.  To paraphrase my father, who paraphrases a hymn: hearts are brave again and arms are strong.  It is now exceptionally strange to be back in D.C.  Not a bad strange, just a, “oh…right.  This.” kind of strange.  I didn’t get much mail while I was gone, I cleaned my apartment before I left so I don’t have a mess to come home to, so really, everything is as I left it.  Except, I myself am not the same person who locked her front door and headed for the plane.  It’s sort of what I might expect someone to feel after coming back from being in space for a year, except in my case, it was the midwest, and it was only a week.    It’s hard to believe such an innocuous place could spark such a feeling of change, and I’m not sure whether that’s because it’s been a year since I’ve taken a proper vacation, or that the company was so delightful.  Maybe both.  Regardless, “there has arisen an unexpected calm.”  Allelujah indeed.

—

Exsultate, jubilate,

O vos animae beatae

exsultate, jubilate,

dulcia cantica canendo;

cantui vestro respondendo

psallant aethera cum me.

Fulget amica dies,

jam fugere et nubila et procellae;

exortus est justis inexspectata quies. 

Undique obscura regnabat nox,

surgite tandem laeti qui  timuistis adhuc,

et jucundi aurorae fortunatae.

frondes dextera plena et lilia date. 

Tu virginum corona,

tu nobis pacem dona,

tu consolare affectus,

unde suspirat cor.

Alleluja.

Rejoice, be glad,

O you blessed souls,

Rejoice, be glad,

Singing sweet songs;

In response to your singing

Let the heavens sing forth with me.

The friendly day shines forth,

both clouds and storms have fled now;

for the righteous there has arisen an unexpected calm.

Dark night reigned everywhere [before];

you who feared till now,

and joyful for this lucky dawn

give garlands and lilies with full right hand.

You, o crown of virgins,

grant us peace,

console our feelings,

from which our hearts sigh.

Alleluja