It’s been ten years since we began our architecture education in Manhattan, Kansas but I still call these friends some of my favorites. When it came time to leave, we had our pick then of jobs and the possibilities of our dreams were limitless. We scattered to different corners of the world… each one of us taking our own unique approach to our trade. We’ve gone to far off lands and stayed to explore known places; we’ve ended jobs and begun new chapters in our education.
In the course of these years, we’ve gathered others along with us in the journey. It is often these pairings at weddings that brings us back together. We look the same and tell the old stories that make us laugh until our cheeks hurt. Ryan fills his speech with hyperboles and Brad eggs on Matt’s shameless commentary. Tessa gives flying hugs and Justin’s Harclerode humor has become even drier than remembered. I can predict the night will not end until stories of studies in Italy are fondly recanted. Likewise, a memorable moment almost always marks the evening and is added to our collection of experiences together.
And sometimes, when we’re sitting all together again, I just look around and smile. I have become more of who I am today because of these people. In our five years together at school, we saw some of our best and worst moments, shared more late nights and strong coffees than could be imagined. We critiqued and we cheered, challenged and competed. And maybe what’s kept us all together another five years is that we haven’t stopped. We laugh at the memories but we always move conversations deeper and connect with the things that brought us together at the beginning. Discussion of art exhibits our need for beauty; stories of urban life experiences reveal a quirkly love of community. Our idealism shows us that only faith can fill the gap between what is and what could be; our pursuit of teaching reminds us we all have something to offer this world.
Weddings will soon cease to pull us back together. I know, however, we will find a new way to invent the crossings of our paths. And each time, I will savor these moments for they are too few and far between.
I like this…A lot