F is for Friends

watercolorish
Originally uploaded by zoe krylova

I have spent a lot of time moving. I was born in Cyprus and moved to small town America when I was four. I moved away from Bradford, PA, to go to Allegheny College and then to live in Buffalo. I moved away from Buffalo to go out West. I lived in Seattle for a year and then moved to the Bay Area. I lived in Oakland/Berkeley/San Francisco for eight years and then moved to India for a year. I lived in Corvallis, OR, for a summer after being in India and then moved to Ann Arbor, MI, for four years. And now I live in Charlottesville, VA. It will be two years this month.

I've made friends in all of these places, including the places in between. One or two of my closest soul mates I've met on the road. I have amazing groups of friends all over the place. They are artists and activists and photographers and writers and explorers and nomads and healers and psychics and musicians and dancers and actors and just plain good folks. It's so hard to find your tribe and then leave it. I've done that a few times now. It seems like every time I move it's harder to make friends. But I've met some good folks where I am now. And I know with time the circle will widen.

I wish I could be there to see my friends across the country perform, have babies, publish books, have art exhibits, make gardens, play music, dance late into the night. It's amazing how the internet keeps us connected. I have several friends who I lost track of for years and then one day found them in a google search, only to become closely connected again. And then there are the ones who disappear altogether. No matter how hard you search their name doesn't pop up.

I am often shy and not a great small talker. I am cynical. It's not easy for me to make friends. But once I have them I think the world of them. And when I leave them I really miss them. But the best thing is when our paths continue to cross in this world. When an old pal pops up out of nowhere because they are visiting a nearby city or passing through town as they travel toward another destination. Good times are almost always had. And I love good times. Parties, making music, crafting, dancing. It's all so much better with friends.