Community

It occurred to me that though I've posted about my awesome friends in Louisiana, I've failed to mention the wonderful community I've found in West Virginia. And no, I don't mean the little hilltop coal camp we live in, where I just had to yell at a pubescent boy for throwing rocks at the neighbor's dog. I mean the people I've met through Fuzzy and the center I work at.

A few weeks ago, during the preschool that we host at the center, the preschool teacher came running up to me, saying "Oh my god, one of the kids fell in the gym and his nose is bleeding! Come quick!" I wondered whether I should fetch the first aid kit as I ran after her into the gym. But instead of a bloody-nosed boy, I found the parents of the preschool children, my friends, and Fuzzy's mom standing in front of a table piled with food and presents, a surprise bridal shower for me. I instantly burst into tears (which is well documented in several rolls of highly embarrassing pictures). No one had ever thrown me a surprise anything in my life. We all ate far too much, then the children sat in a circle around me as I opened the presents. Later, when I described the event to my mom, she told me, "You've really picked a good place to live." And she was absolutely right.

Today, two of my best friends picked me up at my house, took me to dinner at my favorite Mexican place, stuffed me with fajitas, poured margaritas down my throat, then bought me beer and ice cream and sat with me on a back porch for about four hours. At the end of the evening I was presented with a bag full of condoms, a deck of card printed with 52 different sex games, and a tiny penis eraser. You can't find better community than that.