When I first moved to Chicago from Tampa I didn’t know anyone outside of my work world. That's not a problem by any stretch. I'm the type of guy that meets people wherever I go. I'm very social and don't have a problem meeting new people. What's interesting here is that for whatever reason, in Chicago, I seem to have a pattern as it relates to the people that I not only meet but also form meaningful connections with. I meet a lot of people however I don't form meaningful connections with many of them.
As I've mentioned in previous posts, I generally don’t like to socialize with coworkers. It's just not my thing. Having said that, the one individual that I did know and was willing to spent any social time with was a guy that used to work for me. He and I are the same age, have similar interests and we clicked on a personal level so it was natural that we would be friends and hang out together. His name is John…
Shortly thereafter I was out having dinner with my youngest daughter. We went to a popular hot dog joint in Chicago and a guy sat next to us with his young son. I'm the type of guy that will talk to anyone and he and I started talking. He turned out to be a really nice guy and a fellow Jersey boy and we clicked right away. In his case he turned out to be even more of a Jersey boy than me. He was a lead performer in the stage show Jersey Boys. He and I traded numbers, kept in touch and are still good friends to this day. His wife is now our yoga instructor (my wife and I). His wife and my wife share the same name and oh by the way, his name is John…
Fast forward a year or so. I was attending an industry event downtown. I met a fellow IT guy and he and I started talking, we laughed our asses off, and connected as if we'd known each other for a long time. We had no choice but to kept in touch. His name is…you guessed it, John. Here's the kicker. This particular John is gay and his partner's name is (and no I'm not making this shit up)...John.
One random Wednesday night I found my way to a cool speak easy kind of bar in the city. I was alone, I sat at the bar and listened to the band. A woman sat next to me ordered a beer and we talked briefly. She was very nice, we talked for a while and she indicated that she was the wife of the keyboard player in the band and was also there alone (except for her hubby who was on stage and otherwise occupied). At the break the husband walked over, she introduced us and we talked. As a musician myself, we had plenty in common and as you would expect, we connected and became friends quickly. He's a full time professional musician in Chicago. He gigs regularly with multiple bands and as a guy that LOVES live music, I enjoy meeting up with him and his wife for performances and good times. His name is John…
Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction. In this case, it's no different. Each of these Johns are great guys and I'm lucky to have be able to add them to my life.
