I didn't know I was lonely until a group chat started lighting up my phone at 11 pm on a Tuesday. Somebody had made a soup. Somebody else was on the way over. Did I want to come. Yes. Always yes.
The friends I have made in this city are not the friends I expected. They are older than me. Younger than me. From places I've never been. They are fashion and finance and film and one very patient engineer who explains crypto every six months like it's the first time.
We are not family by blood. We are family by Sunday dinner. Somebody's tiny apartment. Too many people. A pot of something on the stove. A playlist made by the person with the best taste, and if there's ever any doubt about who that is, we fight, lovingly, about it.
If you're new here: the friends come. Slowly. Then all at once. Keep showing up. Host the thing even when your apartment is small. Especially when your apartment is small.
The city will feel enormous. Your eight favorite people will make it a town.
Love,