One thing I rant about too much on here is my love life. One thing I don’t talk about enough is the kind of love that’s most important to me. The love of friends. Especially in the tight kind of enclaves that formed near me throughout my college career. Share&Enjoy, the Asylum crowd, the Skibo floor crowd, graffiti raiders, the phillips house, wilkins & wightman. None of them had or have formal membership requirements or activities. Glorified social circles, perhaps, but tight ones. I drifted, into, through, along side, and around them. But they are places and collections of friends where I had a strong sense of place and belonging. They mean alot to me, and they are hard for me to turn my back on.
During my time in chicago, I signed onto a number of groups and activities, swim team, chorus, and front runners being the most prominent ones. I never found that cohesive spirit there. I was only getting the sense of belonging and place in the most consistent/longest lasting of those (the chorus) at the end.
But that’s not the point. I just want to say that words can’t express how I care about and value my friends here.