An Exhibit · South Carolina · 2026
The Gravity of Old Friends
As we get older, the people we love most scatter across the map. This is a record of the times we still managed to land in the same place.
- 16
- reunions
- 5
- cities
- 12
- friends
- 2,853
- miles between us
The premise
You don't notice it happening. One by one, the people who used to be a five-minute drive away become a text that says "next time you're in town."
Nobody moves away all at once. The map just quietly stretches until seeing a best friend takes a tank of gas and a free weekend.
So I started keeping track. Not of everyone — of the few that matter most, and the distance it now takes to close. Every dot on the map that follows took a plan, a drive, or a flight. None of them just happened. That's the whole point.
The map
Closing the distance
You are here
Columbia
Home base. Where the group chat still says 'we should all get dinner soon.'
- Feb 16 Dinner with Ben
- Feb 23 Drew's birthday
85 mi 2× this year
Charlotte
Just over the state line. Ninety minutes that somehow became a 'someday.'
- Feb 8 Lunch with Kev
- Apr 11 Lilly & Palmer's wedding
97 mi 7× this year
Greenville
Up in the foothills now. Close enough to drive, far enough to need a plan.
- Jan 9 Greenville with Drew & Lake
- Jan 30 A snow-day weekend with the crew
- Mar 28 Halls with the crew
- Apr 24 Morning with Drew
- May 6 Up for work, dinner with Drew
- May 12 Another Greenville run
- May 19 A full day with Drew
106 mi 3× this year
Charleston
Two hours south, on the water. Where Zenas plays, and where I'm headed tonight.
- Apr 24 Pasta night in Charleston
- May 10 ShareHouse, Charleston
- May 29 A gig in Charleston
124 mi 1× this year
Hilton Head
Far enough south it's basically a vacation to say hello.
- Apr 17 Heritage on Hilton Head
133 mi 1× this year
Savannah
Across the Georgia line. Four hours south to play a room with an old friend.
- Mar 6 Savannah, with Justin
The whole year
All of it.
16 reunions · 5 cities · 2,853 miles. Every red line a plan, a drive, a reason to be in the same place.
The count
How often, really
On average, about 1.3 weeks pass between seeing one of my best friends. Here's how the year has actually gone.
Reunions by month · 2026
By friend
The log
The year, in reunions
A gig in Charleston
with Zenas
Driving down to play keys with Zenas tonight. Two hours each way for a couple of hours on stage — and worth every mile.
A full day with Drew
with Drew
True South in Greenville that morning, then Halls with Drew and Max that night. A whole day, start to finish.
Another Greenville run
with Drew
Up to see Drew again. The drive's getting familiar — that's a good problem to have.
ShareHouse, Charleston
with Devin & Alvin
Playing the ShareHouse in Charleston with Devin and Alvin — music's the best excuse to get the crew back in one room.
Up for work, dinner with Drew
with Drew
An overnight work trip to the upstate — which, with Drew up there, always turns into dinner and catching up too.
Pasta night in Charleston
with Zenas & Griffin
Then all the way south that same night — pasta night with Zenas and Griffin, plus a gig. One of those days that just didn't end.
Morning with Drew
with Drew
Started the day with Drew up in Greenville before pointing the car south.
Heritage on Hilton Head
with Ben, Rylee & Graham
The whole crew on the coast for the Heritage — Ben, Rylee, and Graham. The kind of weekend you plan the rest of the year around.
Lilly & Palmer's wedding
with Kevin
Back up to Charlotte for Lilly and Palmer's wedding, with Kev. Any excuse to be in the same room.
Halls with the crew
with Drew, Ben, Rylee, Graham & Taylor
Coffee with Taylor first, then dinner at Halls Chophouse with the Conquer Nations crew — Drew, Ben, Rylee, and Graham. Everyone in one place for a night.
Savannah, with Justin
with Justin
A road trip across the Georgia line to play a show with Justin. Four hours each way, no regrets.
Drew's birthday
with Drew
Birthday lunch with Drew, right here in town. The easy ones count too.
Dinner with Ben
with Ben
No driving, no planning — just dinner with Ben. A reminder that some of them never left.
Lunch with Kev
with Kevin
Drove up to Charlotte for lunch with Kev at Yafo. A round trip for a couple of hours at the table.
A snow-day weekend with the crew
with Drew, Ben, Rylee & Graham
A whole weekend in Greenville with the Conquer Nations crew — poker Friday night, then a surprise snow day: Waffle House, steaks, and nowhere to be. South Carolina barely gets these.
Greenville with Drew & Lake
with Drew & Lake
The first road trip of the year — up to Greenville to see Drew and Lake.
Every one of these took a plan, a drive, a flight, a reason.
None of them just happened.
16 reunions · 2,853 miles · still in orbit.