The Boys' Club

It's amazing how you can take some things for granted. That's not a new notion.
For at least the last seven years a group of guys, which stemmed from a local church but is not exclusive to it, of which I'm happy to say I am a part of have been meeting for dinner once a week (thereabouts).
I struggled with where I fitted in the group for a while when I left the church it grew out of (almost six years ago). The guys knew it. It took a while but I soon worked out that I still belonged there.
There's anywhere up to a dozen guys who would fall into the semi-regular category which is great for variety but there's probably a core group of four to six.
I count these guys as among my best mates and appreciate them more than they probably know (or at least I let on). It's amazing the impact that someone who knows you on a deeper level can have on you.
It's because they know me (and my quirks) too well and have forgiven me for them that it makes it easy to go on the chosen night (which has changed from time to time) even when I really don't feel like it.
It's the ability to talk about anything that's on your mind that is priceless. Most of the time the conversation is pretty frivolous but there are also times when it is extremely enlightening or controversial. Then there are the movie nights.
Some of the guys are married and I'm sure the other singles (like myself) appreciate the insight into life on the other side of the fence. It' also great that time out with the boys can be prioritised. In my experience some people just disappear when they get married.
As I said, the value these nights provide is priceless and I'm sure I'd be a different person in many ways if it wasn't for the great men I get to have a few hours hanging out with each week.
One of the guys sees it as like going to church. In some ways it is, in some ways it is better, but whichever way you look at it this time spent is cherished and will continue to be.