Touching Grass
Just being a baby bear
Happy bday baby girl
The fruit was good but a little sour
Just happy to be here
Finding Your People
This was a best man speech I wrote for a close, wonderful friend of mine named Kash. There are many things I could say, but my main point is to not lose sight of our own feelings, and being able to express ourselves with those we trust and build towards ever more dynamic conversations that can enrich our understanding of others. But enough about my thoughts, here’s to you, Kash and Tess!
Kash and I have been friends now for over 20 years. We were always friendly in our early years at Bishop’s together, but it was really junior and senior that year we grew closer. Which, unbeknownst to me, just happens to be when Tess and Kash first met each other playing video games online as friends. (What a precursor to how people meet other each in our contemporary time! Online dating before it was cool)
We weren’t an obvious pair of friends in high school. Kash was an intelligent, nerdy student who was falling in love with math. Whereas, I filled a lot of the sporty jock high school stereotypes, a water polo bro with lower grades to boot! However, through conversation, we found our common ground for shared experiences and thirst of knowledge.
One of my earliest defining moments was attending our first concert together. A small, locally famous indie rock band called Japandi that played at the Che Cafe on UCSD’s campus. It’s not a Billboard top 40 name (no Taylor Swift) that anyone else here will recognize, but for me and Kash, we came away with what I can only describe as a natural high, reveling in the energy from the performance and the intimate gathering. I remember just sitting outside the venue laying down on a bench, looking up at the night sky, processing the moment with Kash, having a free flowing dialogue about what this music meant to us on a personal level.
Now, while that moment is but a blip in our broader lives, it represented the start of a deeper bond we shared together. Whether it was a concert, a hookah lounge, a walk along the water or sitting with each other in our own homes, we have continued to have deep, lasting conversations over music, philosophy, technology, relationships, politics, and of course, mathematics :) (I didn’t know what he was saying half the time, but I could understand through his passion!
Those conversations and that companionship have endured over the years even as we have lived in different states not out of obligation, but a genuine care to find each other.
And I have seen Kash express that care for others. Being an only child, I have a small family, and generally consider the bond with my closest friends as family itself. And I see the same with Kash and his friends. It was no surprise at Kash’s bachelor party, seeing him go up to each of his friends to tell them how much he enjoyed having them together. They equally had the utmost respect and appreciation for him. He finds his people.
And that’s what I want to cherish the most, and wish most for humanity at large. To talk to each other. Educate each other. And be kind to one another. It’s the bedrock of my friendship with a wonderful human in Kash. And I’m so happy for you and Tess to continue building your own life together on a foundation of thoughtfulness, kindness, and care.
We live in a world that often has us living apart, not talking as we should. Too often connecting over grievances, rather than love. But, for my part in your lives, I hope you both know how much I love and care for you. When I say find your people, I mean you. You are a part of my people.
With that, Thank you for letting me speak in front of your families and friends with the honor as your best man. And congrats to this wonderful pair of human beings.
Tony is taking in some much needed outdoor time. Appreciate what you have!
She’s got my heart
I, too, would like a piece of that strawberry cheesecake Kit Kat bar
