New Horizons
I first met Mike in August 2008 at the beginning of the Washington Semester Program in DC. As so many others have mentioned, I was immediately impressed with his intelligence, wit, and humor. He came to be one of my closest friends during that semester. Growing up poor in the South, I had some unique perspectives to bring to the table but, on the whole, I was woefully ignorant of the world outside my home. I will always remember Mike as being among the first people I had ever met who broke down my perceptions and stereotypes of what it meant to be a straight white male. Being gay, I had built up a certain sterotype of what it meant to be a straight man. My perceptions made me believe I could never be friends with straight guys because we were just too different. Needless to say, I was missing out on a lot because of my insecurities. To Mike, me being gay wasn't even a thing and it just blew my mind. I hadn't ever really met a straight guy who was just so unconcerned about it. (Some would tell you they aren't, but if you have even the slightest bit of perception, you can pick up on the queues that tell you otherwise.) Mike and I got to be really good friends and I'll always have him to thank for opening my eyes and knocking down some of my self-imposed barriers.
At the end of the semester, Mike invited me up to stay with him at his house for the weekend because I had never been to New York city but always wanted to go. I took a bus up from DC and Mike met me in the city. I didn't realize until later when we made the trek home how far out of the way he had gone to meet up with me! We ended up spending most of the weekend in Pearl River which to this day is the most of New York I've seen outside the City. It was a great weekend! Mike was so generous to give up his time to take me out and show me around. A few years later, I was able to return the favor when he visited me in DC and crashed at my place for the weekend. I saw Mike one last time a couple of years ago in NYC when we met up for brunch at a Turkish restraunt. He was still pushing me outside my comfort zone to experience new things! We always picked up right where we left off. I was always fascniated to hear his opinion on current political affairs. He really had such a keen intellect. (This reminds me that Mike was the one who won our class competition when we predicted the makeup of Congress after the 2008 elections. He was the closest out of 30+ people!)
MIke, I miss you already buddy. I took you for granted because I thought you were always going to be there. You were one of those rare connections that people hang on to because they know you're going places. The world suffered a tremendous loss this week and our society is worse for it. I'll see you on the next trip around my friend!