JUST AN EXCUSE TO SEE YOU AGAIN

When I see my friends after a long time, it's like a breath of fresh air seeing them. I thought of that on the way to seeing my friend George Posey last summer, and I treat it to my other "once a summer" meet-ups I have with old school friends more often than I think. It's true, though. These people who remind you of the goodness of where you came from, despite my days of unfortunate disavowal from my hometown. Us humans love to dwell more on the negative than the positive of our upbringings, but I didn't start this entry for that.

When you see one of your day-to-day friends, a trip to the bathroom doesn't interrupt your conversation. You guys see each other multiple times a week, and this dialogue could've already been on its 3rd repeat on account of hearing it already. It's no different with an "old friend," if I'm even allowed to have those at my age. These friends, the purified air in my lungs that they are, create the same phenomenon, and I frantically wrote in my notes app the other day about this.

These are unconditional people. Since graduating high school, there is the formula of catching up with people over holidays: how's the major, friends we've made, or relationships that have continued to grow or reach their end. It's wonderful, and I truly love being refreshed on the where and whatabouts of others, but there's something a little extra special about those unconditional people.

There are unconditional people in your life. People who meet up with you as if they took a year-round trip to the bathroom. The conversation continued after the ellipses. You held that thought and remembered to tell them the next time you saw them. You gave them the shirt you said you'd give back as an excuse to see them one more time before y'all headed back to school or work. Sometimes you forget the shirt altogether, knowing or unknowingly, but the ball keeps rolling.

"Just an excuse to see you again!" commonly follows the discovery of something that I left with them. Albeit never intentional (maybe once or twice), it does plant the seed of a semi-guaranteed follow-up.

Hearing that something would be better told in person, various feelings emerge depending on where the conversation is being led. Whether it's an update on a relationship, transfer, family matter, or just unpacking a long night, those that prefer to present that in a public place being seen alongside me is a privilege I hold dear. Find an excuse to see a friend, then another one to see them again.

Cheers,

Mo