In 1982 and 1983 I met several new friends at various science fiction events, conventions or movie openings throughout New England, and we have remained very close. In 1986 I joined a "Star Trek" fan club in the Boston area, the USS Christa McAuliffe, making quite a few more close friends and also finding that most of my earlier friends fit right into the McAuliffe as well. The McA became our group identity and remains so to this day, 20 years later (give or take).
Many people have a circle of friends that is very meaningful to them. Is it me though or do science fiction fans feel this kinship even more than our more "mundane" acquaintances? Maybe it's because so many of us were geeks growing up (before it was somewhat "cool" to be a geek), and frequently considered ourselves loners to some extent, with maybe a couple of friends but never quite fitting into the mainstream in those early years.
I feel enormously blessed to have found such a group of friends - of family - as I have found with my fellow McAuliffans. This past weekend we had our annual group holiday party; it had been a few years since I'd been able to go myself and I'm so glad I was able to make it there with C and The Momma. All of us had a wonderful time with about 25 other old friends, some of whom we still see often, some of whom we only see once or twice a year, but all of whom we are instantly comfortable with.
My thanks go to The Hey for arranging this event each year, and putting a great amount of work into it. But also my appreciation to everyone on the McA and our extended friends. It's special to sit down with such a diverse group as we are and after so many, many years and stories just continue to realize that these are Good People, and they are our friends.
Hail the Tiki, and Happy Holidays!
1 comment:
Amen, Bis. Well said!
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