Social

I've gotten into the habit over the past few weeks of meeting one of my Astoria friends for brunch on Sundays. We just go to a diner and catch up.

I've gotten out of the habit of this kind of socializing. Most of my friends are couples now, so they naturally want to spend time together. The others tend to live in (or want to meet in) Manhattan, which makes brunch kind of a schlep.

I like just being able to walk a couple of blocks to a neighborhood diner where I see the same people week after week. Kind of like a diner version of Cheers - everybody knows your name (but it being Astoria, the name is most likely Greek).

It's energizing being able to talk about the good things that are going on in my life (or the bad, depending on the week). We encourage each other in our lofty goals and our day-to-day struggles. It's nice.

Plus, I don't have to travel by subway to get there or back.

It's easy for me to forget to explore and enjoy my neighborhood. Hopefully, I'll start doing more of it.