Man. Thinking about the last time I went swimming at EVO in 2017 I was hanging with Colorado friends and Laban appeared out of nowhere. I was still binding then.
This year I went down to the pool alone and swam in public shirtless, scars out, without anyone to defend me if a bigot showed up, and Laban called out to me to hang with friends.
And it feels like a poetic analogy for my relationship with the FGC - I have dear friends locally that are FGC but I haven't felt a part of local FCC for a long time, even when I was actively working locals.
But FGC friends across the country? Across the world? Make me feel like home.