my tribe

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I do not find friendship easy. In part this is because of my introvert characteristics, but also because I am shy and have a slightly odd sense of humour. I tend to automatically shy away from much of society. Once I find a friend, someone whom I feel comfortable with, then I can let loose, but it can take a lot of perseverance, blood, sweat and tears {none of them mine} before the Comfortable Friendship level is achieved. I also find it ridiculously difficult to maintain a friendship once the friend isn't a natural aspect of my everyday life. It isn't that I don't want to remain friends, but I find it exhausting to try to keep up with people I don't see a lot. A few years ago I stumbled across a vacancy in an area of education that I wasn't particularly knowledgeable of. But I had no job {having been made redundant a couple of months previously} and the role sounded like it would be right up my street. That position, the one I still have today, brought with it friendship of a kind I hadn't known since my university days. Last night some of us went for a meal after work and I sat amongst them {I make it sound like a big crowd, but there were only five of us} and realised that they're my Tribe. My wonderful little Tribe. We're a funny bunch, a mix of OCD, bipolar, tourettes, tea-drinkers, Moaning Minnies, stressed bunnies, intellectuals, geniuses, and animal lovers. There is banter and kindness, generosity and sympathy, concern and love among us. My Tribe. Weirdness. Oddness. Quirkiness. Silliness. I laughed so much. One day I must tell you about the individual characters, but right now I shall just bathe in the aftermath of an evening full of good joy, good food and good company. *doing the happy dance*