darts and friends...

The thing about my "dart-playing life" that stands out to me is the nature of friendship which emerges from the subculture, and I'm really talking about steel-tip darts played in a British pub-like setting. I have always managed to find friends in the various eras of my life, but there is something more comfortable, more settled about the sociality and companionship surrounding the "dart" scene. I'm not sure why that is, but I think it has something to do with how the essential character of a person becomes more visible, more revealed - sometimes for the worse, but far more often for the better. Even when you see the worst part of a person's character, you know who they are, and come to feel an ease and sense of community with them. Traits such as; honesty, grace, humor, fairness, confidence, uncertainty, competitiveness without malice, and much more become evident while playing the "game." It's a good thing, and it cuts to the underlying truth about all of us. Either you like me or don't, but you can see who I am.

I do feel a kinship with many of my friends and aquaintances I've come to know over the last five years playing steel-tip darts. I love many of them as if they were my own family. I'll mention Anne Lund for starters. I felt privledged to have known her mother, Pat Wolfe, and her husband, Oly. It's very hard to accept that they aren't here any more, but Anne's strength has been an inspiration to me. She has always been generous with her love, concern and interest in my life, and we've had many enlightening conversations about the nature of love and relationships. Her bond with Oly was real, and was the perfect model for what I hoped to find.

Yesterday, my friend Craig Boughton took time out of his life to help me move some heavy furniture - not a fun thing, but he volunteered without hesitation. Here's another friend I met playing darts. He's a genuinely great guy who has been generous to his friends more times than I can count. Ian Griffiths, my Welsh buddy. A friend for life, in many ways like a brother to me. I could go on and on. Roger Christal, Gregg Sloan, Gregg Weiss, Jim Cook, Jim Arvidson, Dave "Pope" McCann, Alex and Nate Christy, AJ Anderson, LJ Stupey, Lori Christal, Kathy Collins, Dee Phillip, Rich Patterson, Mitch Snoddy, Joe Rodriguez, Jo Jo Rodriguez, Jimmy Langan, Mike Timmons, Pat Milton, Jon Reid, Tom Hamm, Greg Bundy, Julie Davis, Dee Brown, Brett Bedore, Tim Schmugge, Bill Collins, Jim Carsner, Scott Thelin, Carlos Gressam, Santiago Tabino, Alan Rogers, Scott Bennett, Frank Moyer, Rob Luster, Phil Borbeau, Ed Meyo, Bob Psomas, Mike Malone, Jeff Shafer.....this list goes on and on. The point is, it's a community, and extends even to those people who don't play the game seriously. It's all about comraderie, and (as Roger Christal puts it) "having fun." When folks can have good times together, win or lose, it's all about spending time together. I'm glad I picked up the game five and a half years ago.