I'm well, I've just been busy. It's all about adaptation. Have a plan, a backup plan, and a backup-backup plan.

That comes in handy in the majority of situations, and sometimes I wonder how much people think about this or just automatically assume another option will materialize. It says a lot about someone's worldview and the experiences they've gone through. Having been on the pool league for 8 years, I've met many people who have come and gone from the UES and NYC in general, and it lends itself to interesting observations of human nature. Not only have members joined and dropped off over the years, but you meet people from all walks of life with vastly different experiences and watch as life develops around them.

When people do leave the league, 95% of the time it's because of a major shift; a move, marriage, children, illness, family obligations, and many other reasons. The grapevine is alive and well, however, so you hear snippets of how things resolved. Few have crashed and burned thankfully, no matter what the circumstances.

I think it's partly because NYC allows many opportunities for alternate plans, more so than other places, but definitely helping their chances is that most of them did have some sort of backup plan in the wings. Sometimes it is luck, but maybe experiencing a place where plans can change in an instant (and often do), we learn to address unexpected events with some resiliency and, if lucky, a true safety net. Either way, it's reassuring to see proof of how often things turn out in a positive manner, not only because I tend to genuinely like my teammates, but it's inspiring to see how often people land on their feet.

I just think New Yorkers know how to do it a little bit better ;).