Leaving Oklahoma has been difficult. As SOF liked to say, there is a reason we stayed in Norman for 23 years. It is time for us to change, that is for sure, but it has not been easy. Yesterday, I really hit a wall when I realized that while I have some relatives in town, and some high school friends (from 30 years ago) who live here, I had no one to call for lunch, or to grab a beer with.
I knew this would happen, and had been prepared for this. A friend who recently moved to Oregon warned me that my connections in Norman were so built in that I didn't have to work at it. But now, I find myself without a network of like-minded people. I know some people, but I don't think we have a ton in common.
It is during these times that I really understand why people go to church. There is a built-in community there and a built-in way to meet people. And maybe I will be open to finding a liberal congregation of some kind down the road. But I can't return to the church of my youth--it is now on the other side of town. Musing on that yesterday also made me angry. I was reading about the massive cuts in social services in Oklahoma, and snarkily wondered if this Fort Collins church would organize a mission trip to help children and the mentally ill in Oklahoma survive their attack by other conservative Christians? Probably not.
So I decided to take some action in ways that I can. I signed up for a bluegrass jam session tonight, and there is another tomorrow. I think SOF will bring her fiddle tonight and we will see what it looks and sounds like.
I have to create my Fort Collins network, and that is daunting right now.
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