Thank you, everyone.

I've been doing well in my search to establish a social circle again, and I am happy with the quality of the friends I am making. This has been far too long in coming (I implore the reader to browse a couple of angst-filled entries from a year or two ago, if this is in question.)
What will be said here is far too little to describe the positive changes that have been happening, but at least these few words will attempt to attribute some credit where it is well-deserved.

First, a dear old friend, Chip Unicorn, who is altogether too kind to me, made me feel at home at his place while I did a little work on his car. More importantly, he's taken great pains to boost my lagging self-esteem, to the point of asking readers of his own journal how to help me. In attempting to express my gratitude for this, I am beyond words. Thank you, Chip.

glittery_chaos returned from her two-week stay with her sister. While she was gone, she was kind enough to be supportive of me via telephone as I sank into a panic-ridden hell. I don't know what I would have done without you. Her sister, khalisfyre also helped during the worst of it, and has begun to help me confront the issues I have, despite my protests. Thank you for stirring up my demons, for they are uncomfortable, and, I suspect, may soon be excised. glittery_chaos and I have since deepened our bond, and I am looking forward to both of us growing immensely, spiritually, in the next few months. Thank you, Era, for being mine.

I searched for, and stumbled across a new friend, Anjel_Kitty, who shares my environmental fervor, and spends a substantial amount of time on the internet to that end. We immediately hit it off, and I see a great friendship between us in the future. We've already made some tentative plans to meet at Further Confusion. Anjel, thank you for believing what you believe, doing what you do, and never giving in.

Yesterday, I met with a friend I've been out of contact with for a while, Desu She's a fascinating, eccentric soul who is dedicated to her (non-paying!) work in wildlife rehabilitation. We set off on an outing to Mt. Diablo for an outing, but found ourselves wandering to the equally beautiful Black Diamond Mines Regional Preserve, where we spent some time dropping our masks and revealing who we truly are to each other. It was a quiet, thought-provoking experience. The setting, an abandoned mining area, seemed surreal to me with the introduced plants (gracing?) the countryside - I know it will be one of those days I'll remember for years. Thank you, Desu, for your trust, for I know you do not open to many people.

Today and tomorrow, I am at ktiger's ranch. He's an old friend of mine who I'd long lost contact with, and had doubted I would ever talk to again. Getting to know him again comes as a pleasant surprise. I'll write more about it after I've returned.

This fall is going to be a beautiful season.