My crew

The English language lacks the depth of meaning in singular words for many things of significance. Other languages have single words, and at times short phrases, that hold these long, deep meanings that when translated to English require paragraphs to define. I have recently been trying to capture in a word or phrase that defines the circle in which I find myself a part of. What title does one use to describe such a diverse and upstanding group of men whose gifts are as varied as much as their temperament but share a common ideology. Our pursuits may not all be the same yet all of our goals align. I have been thrown words like Circle, Tribe, Friends, Family… all have been claimed by pop culture at some point and diluted to the point the original definition isn’t even applicable.

There was a time in my life I was surrounded by unwavering men who were truly bound in all manners, from ideology to cause. This was a special relationship and time that I refuse to taint with first world nonsense. So where else did I find this? Team, I wrestled in high school and we were quite the motley crew. We beat on each other as a hobby and the shit talking was never ended. But even the lowest guy on the totem pole was our guy and was taken care of as such. Gang, not one of the highlights of my life but I learned about loyalty and hierarchy there. Hard lessons learned the hard way. There was comradery within the group and the area that we claimed. Crew, these were the days that the final pieces were cut away to make me the man I am today. To quote a man from this time of my life, “We laughed, we cried, we killed, and we died.” Trust and loyalty was absolute. We looked out for one another all day every day. The system of support was tight and always could be relied upon. And now writing this and remembering maybe that is exactly the term I am looking for to give my current group that I find myself a part of though they will need to step up to such an honor.

I share this with you all this evening because I remember times when I was alone and had no circle, no one to trust, no help, and no one checking on me when I went dark. I share this because I have faced the very same problems over this past year that I did then. I tell you now that the darkness is no different but this time I had people reaching down to pick me up, to listen to me as I ranted and complained, and who were good enough to call me on my bullshit. The same people were there when I couldn’t put food on the table, had to move big stupid things in my house to a new home, and when I starting leaning left or right they stood me back up so I could keep going. I feel like over this next year we will accomplish some amazing things. The first I will be sharing with you this Friday, October 13^th.

Cheers to my crew. Thank you. I look forward to honoring you in the years to come.