It's been all summer. . .

I have not posted on this blog all summer, and I was almost wondering if it would cease to exist in cyberspace on account of my lagging schedule of posting.
This summer has not been lacking for much reflection and contemplation on themes of life and existence (since that seems to be the underlying mantra of this blog), and not lacking for outlets of writing; I cannot even say that I have come to any significant epiphanies or realizations about such themes. Being out of college and just existing in the "day job" circuit has given rise to much thought about purpose and vocation and the attempt to better the shitty world in which we live, and much of my reading repertoire this summer has given me many questions and half-muddled clarity about what my life ought to be centered upon as I embark into more young adulthood.
Quite a few times in the last few days, I have been wrestling with the inevitability of change, as many friends are embarking on extended excursions abroad or to grad school or away from our immediate community. I sat with a fdear riend last night at an all-night cafe and discussed the question of effecting our world. I sat on my porch a few short minutes ago with two housemates, smoking and talking about changes and questions and reality of life. I shared one of my last embraces with one of my very best friends today, as she is about to depart tomorrow for a year in Africa. I don't have any gigantic revelations on account of these interactions, but I enjoy a strange contentment with having (or soon NOT having) these individuals in my life; people who ask the same questions, smoke the same cigarettes, enjoy the same music and poetry, read the same kinds of books, and yet we all do it in our own way, trying to understand the world and ourselves and each other, and being together in the process of doing that.
I almost allowed myself to become nihilistic about remaining in the Twin Cities for another year (or two) after college, because I wasn't doing anything "of significance" to match the ideals that I solidified through academic study. But I have come to realize that one of the most worthwhile things about this period in life is the PEOPLE. The people I will know more deeply and spend more time with over the coming months and next year, that is the reason that I will and must stay here in Minneapolis. Day job or financial difficulties aside, never again in life will I be among friends like these, or be able to change and develop in such ways. Despite my perpetual discontent about being here, it is all made worthwhile for the people I am privileged to know. . .