When I was a kid I would form these attachments to my possessions that bordered on obsessive. Skateboarding around my neighborhood, I’d wear my Converse All-Stars ragged and put gaping holes in the knees of my jeans, then freak out when I found out that I needed to get something new/respectable to replace my threadbare clothes. It wasn’t because I couldn’t grow to love that new thing (I always did), it was just that the familiar was comfortable and held my memories and it seemed wrong to throw away something that I liked just because it had taken on a slightly more entropic form.

I feel kind of like that these days. I look at the things I enjoy around me and feel sad to be losing them. The nostalgia is weighing heavy. I have talked so long about getting away from this city and into a setting where I can experience grandeur and have more opportunities for outdoor play (and really I am excited to be doing this), but as the departure date approaches I really do find myself looking at places and activities through blue-colored glasses (or whatever color nostalgia-inducing glasses might be).

I love my twice-weekly basketball game. Love it. The people I play with are friendly, nonjudgmental, and down to earth, but still play at their limits creating an environment of competitiveness and hard work. It’s a great fun way to get two hours of hard exercise and probably will be hard to replicate in a new city (I’ve played at public gyms before and it’s definitely not the same). There are a lot of little senses of security like that that will be missed. Having a basketball game that I know I like. Fun and exercise security. Shoot, just having access to an enormous gym will be tough to lose. I have my own set of keys to a full-sized basketball court. How great is that? If I’ve got a hankering at two in the morning to go shoot around, theoretically I could do so.

But, really I am mostly just excited. There will be a new pair of All-Stars break to in and the nuances will come.