I'm Surrounded By Stars

Recently, it seems that everyone around me is tremendously talented, or at the very least, very active. I've been bombarded by published photos of people I know who are participating in different events.

The first one to surface was of The Boyfriend's mother, we'll call her "Stella". She participated in the Senior Olympics in the Florida Community that she and The Boyfriend's father live (we don't have a name for his dad yet...we'll see). She won the Gold medal in the 5k race/walk with a time of 33:45, and Bronze in the 5k run with a time of 30:04. These races were 30 minutes apart. Honestly, I'm not sure I could have (ok, I KNOW I couldn't have) even finished both of these events. To the right is a picture of her in the race/walk...I can assume this may be her leading the pack, as this is the event she won the Gold.

Then my sister told me about my brother-in-law, E, participating in the Texas Police Games (I don't think it's a good idea of me to post a picture of him...that whole law enforcement thing...ya never know if I could compromise him in some way). I hate to admit it, but I NEVER tire of saying "it's kind of like the Special Olympics, but with guns". I realize what it actually is - a group of very fit law enforcement officers battling it out, and taking a lot of pride in their medals (they take so much pride when they make a drug bust, I can't imagine what a medal in the games would mean).

And then there's "A", my friend at work. She's on the front cover of the Vital Voice this month to promote the Gay Games in Chicago in July. You can't see the picture very well, but she's kneeling down in an orange jersey (below Morgan Fairchild...I'll talk more about her in a later post...she was the Grand Marshall at our PRIDE parade...but I never found her, I really wanted to meet her). From what I understant, "A's" team is a pretty athletic group that has a good chance for stardom at the Gay Games.

The one word all these events make me think of is "belonging". We form groups and teams, then compete in them to build connections. We feel like we have something in common with these other people, and feel proud to be associated with them. It makes me feel good that I'm surrounded by people who seek these relationships, because I require these same types of interactions. I NEED to be a part of a group that makes me feel like I'm not a reject. Now, I may not fit every group, but I have my cozy groups that are vital for my happiness.

Sadly, the only published picture of me last month was in St. Louis Home, a "society" magazine. E called me to say, "How did you end up in St. Louis Home?!?! You're not "society"". To which I responded, "Girl, I'm so NOT "society" that I AM "society"".