Marshall 👷‍♂️

When I joined the Bored Ape Yacht Club, I never imagined it would become anything more than four pictures of monkeys I planned to print out and hang in my house. That was it. No expectations. No grand plans. Just a vibe. An energy moving through the internet that was impossible to explain. And somehow, from day one, I was hooked. Then BAYC announced something called ApeFest. What the hell was ApeFest? Nobody really knew, but if there’s one thing this Club has always been good at, it’s letting our imaginations run wild. Shoutout to Josh Ong and Peter Fang for being part of those early days. I’ll never forget that chapter. The idea was simple. A weekend in New York City, the greatest city in the world, surrounded by a bunch of internet strangers who somehow already felt like old friends. People I’d spent countless hours talking to online but had never actually met. And suddenly, there we were. Together in real life. There’s one moment from that first ApeFest that will stay with me for the rest of my life. We were all on this giant boat cruising through New York Harbor. I remember walking up to the top deck and finding an empty chair along the railing. I sat down with a friend, we lit up a blunt, and watched the Statue of Liberty slowly pass us by. And I started to cry. Not because anything was wrong. Quite the opposite. I was overwhelmed by how beautiful that moment was. Somehow, a few pictures of cartoon monkeys had led me here. To this boat, this city, these people, and a feeling I didn’t even know I’d been searching for. For the first time in a long time, I felt like I was exactly where I was supposed to be. I’d found my tribe. Five years later, we’ve traveled the world together. We’ve laughed, celebrated, built things, lost things, made memories, and watched our lives change in ways none of us could have predicted. And I know I’m not the only person who found something here that goes far beyond owning an NFT. We found each other. Some of the people who were there in the beginning aren’t in the Club anymore. Some have moved on to different chapters of their lives. But that doesn’t make the time we shared any less meaningful. I’m grateful our paths crossed at all. Because that’s the beautiful thing about life. Not everyone is meant to stay forever, but that doesn’t mean they weren’t meant to be there. As we head into another ApeFest, I want to encourage everyone to really take it all in. Not because of the events, the production, the announcements, or anything BAYC has planned. But because somehow, out of all the places you could be in this world, and all the different paths your life could have taken, yours brought you here. To these people. To this moment. Life moves fast. Five years in this Club have passed in what feels like the blink of an eye. One day, the things we’re experiencing right now will be the stories we tell about the good old days. And we won’t remember every announcement, every floor price, or every argument on the timeline. We’ll remember how it felt to be there. And who was standing beside us. So this ApeFest, put your phone down for a minute. Look around. Hug your friends. Meet someone new. Have the conversation. Take the picture. Stay a little longer. Appreciate the fact that you’re alive, that you’re here, and that you get to share this strange, beautiful experience with people who understand you. Because one day, you’ll look back and realize these were some of the moments that mattered most. Five years ago, I bought four pictures of monkeys. I had no idea I was finding a family. See you at ApeFest. ❤️