So I think everybody already read my Ultimus task description of the many many people who have helped make this league a great place for me so I'm going to use this assignment to double down on why @HalfEatenOnionBagel is my best friend.
I've been fortunate to have stepped foot on many continents, countries, and American states. These travels have all helped inform one critical perspective in how I live my life which is that people are inherently good. Whether we meet in a bar, a hostel, a wedding, or just on the street watching fireworks, people are meant to get along with each other. If there's a sadness to this truth, though, it's that we cannot always remain connected with wonderful people who pass through our lives.
I was once deeply integrated into a group of four people, myself included. Over the course of a year we had seen the best of each other, the worst of each other, pushed each other to spectacular heights, and gone on legendary journeys which I regularly look back on fondly. A month before I was to depart, we had gone to our regular tavern, ordered well over a combined $1000 worth of scotch and I soon found myself in a drunken haze staring at myself in the mirror. I loved these people. They were my family. And soon I would be leaving. My life has been filled with goodbyes and even the age of the internet can only do so much to keep these lines alive.
In that moment, as I pondered the fragility of friendship, HEOB entered my mind. We hadn't seen each other in a calendar year but he was unquestionably my best friend. We had gone months, even years at times, of not seeing one another yet nothing ever had, or ever will, tarnish our friendship. And so, in a blurred and manic sense, I found immense joy for a friendship that transcended all geography and time.
It's been almost 10 years since I stared in that mirror. Every few months I receive and send updates to my friends from that cohort, but I'm writing this post on a chair no more than 10 feet from HEOB. Family, children, work, many many things make it harder to spend time together than we could when were children but I've always felt an immense privilege to be able to spend time with HEOB. So when he told me about this sim league and kept talking about 4 years later, I knew I had to finally join it. And you know what? I've been loving it. HEOB has introduced me to some great people in various locker rooms (many have introduced themselves to me too) and I've got a great feeling that this community is one I'm going to enjoy being a part of for years to come.
I've been fortunate to have stepped foot on many continents, countries, and American states. These travels have all helped inform one critical perspective in how I live my life which is that people are inherently good. Whether we meet in a bar, a hostel, a wedding, or just on the street watching fireworks, people are meant to get along with each other. If there's a sadness to this truth, though, it's that we cannot always remain connected with wonderful people who pass through our lives.
I was once deeply integrated into a group of four people, myself included. Over the course of a year we had seen the best of each other, the worst of each other, pushed each other to spectacular heights, and gone on legendary journeys which I regularly look back on fondly. A month before I was to depart, we had gone to our regular tavern, ordered well over a combined $1000 worth of scotch and I soon found myself in a drunken haze staring at myself in the mirror. I loved these people. They were my family. And soon I would be leaving. My life has been filled with goodbyes and even the age of the internet can only do so much to keep these lines alive.
In that moment, as I pondered the fragility of friendship, HEOB entered my mind. We hadn't seen each other in a calendar year but he was unquestionably my best friend. We had gone months, even years at times, of not seeing one another yet nothing ever had, or ever will, tarnish our friendship. And so, in a blurred and manic sense, I found immense joy for a friendship that transcended all geography and time.
It's been almost 10 years since I stared in that mirror. Every few months I receive and send updates to my friends from that cohort, but I'm writing this post on a chair no more than 10 feet from HEOB. Family, children, work, many many things make it harder to spend time together than we could when were children but I've always felt an immense privilege to be able to spend time with HEOB. So when he told me about this sim league and kept talking about 4 years later, I knew I had to finally join it. And you know what? I've been loving it. HEOB has introduced me to some great people in various locker rooms (many have introduced themselves to me too) and I've got a great feeling that this community is one I'm going to enjoy being a part of for years to come.
