This weekend we celebrated welcoming the potential new cohort to campus. With happy hours and lectures for all the would be scholars, we had a jolly time. Moments of laughter and good cheer not to mention snooty jokes flitted around the room. At one point I found myself sitting in the middle of a two person bench sandwiched between members of my cohort. With my arms wrapped around either side I thought about how it had been one year since I met these strange, quirky nitwits and how grateful I am to be surrounded by such a terrific group. They are supportive and kind, while still being able to give and take a little dish. When there are two types of academics: the know it alls who live and die by research and proving how brilliant they are; and then there are those who know they are smart enough to play the smart kid games and appreciate the others in the room as part of a larger contribution. Lucky for me, my cohort friends are the second group of people- the ones that make the drudgery of academia amusing and doable. I wouldn't have liked a program that stuck too close to the high browed snobbery of the ivory tower.
So of all the things that welcome weekend reminds me of, it's a simple phrase tossed around the office regularly:
I love my friends.
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