San Diego 262

It’s been some time since I've seen my friends and gone out to a bar. I'm not the biggest fan of actually any type of bar or club setting. Early in my 20s, I was a frequent bar person but when you tend to stop drinking it becomes an ego-filled place. The decision to stop drinking came easily as I became obsessive over my health but also despised how I would feel in the morning. The absence of alcohol in one's life can usually kill the feeling of the fun and enjoyment of being in places where alcohol tends to be the main driver for a lot of peoples lives. No shame if you are just not my cup of tea anymore and haven’t been for a long time. I went out though and I will always go out if all of my friends are together. You have to cherish those nights, days, and hours when you can get with all your childhood friends and just talk shit, crack jokes, and catch up. You don't know when those times will come to a halt for good. The thing is with friends who have known you for the majority of your life, they know YOU. They don't know this version of you that you think you’ve created over the past year or few months. They will always treat you like the person they met. At least that's what you should hope for. I don't see my friends as often as I would like but granted that's been my choice for the past few years. Admittedly I've been gone but that's by choice and one I don't regret for a second. It’s helped me appreciate certain things in my life such as time with family and friends. Somewhere along the night, I was in conversation with a girl who was sitting at our booth. She looked at me kinda funny when I told her I don't drink but she followed along with the question, “ Don’t you get bored here then?”

I simply responded with “I'm just happy to be here.”

And that was the truth. I was just happy to be around people I love and friends who have known me since I used a rolly backpack in middle school.

Happy birthday Lloyd!

Lloyds birthday was the reason for this get together.