Entering a new circle of friends
When I was a kid, my parents felt like we needed to learn how to meet new people. Growing up in a small town and meeting friends in the neighborhood was easy. Growing up with eight siblings meant that there was always someone to play with. I think they realized the importance of stepping out of our comfort zone and meeting people from different parts of the country.
This hit me last week after playing in a golf league. It’s random who I play with, and the girls were very kind. But… afterward, going inside for a drink had me a bit frazzled. There I was ordering a drink and not knowing anyone who was in the league at the bar.
I mustered every ounce of “you can do this, Mary”
So, I walked up to a table to introduce myself, and the ladies kept talking, not even noticing I was there. What was probably 30 seconds felt like an hour!
I started asking questions and introducing myself, and I didn’t receive warm fuzzies:) Fortunately, the women I played with came in, and we found a place to sit and chat.
I’m not going to lie, it rattled me for the entire next day. I know the guts it takes to walk up to people you don’t know and introduce yourself, so I make sure I’m as receptive as possible when this happens to me.
Fast forward to the next week's Pickleball, and we played a round robin with 23 people. The great thing about this style is that you quickly meet new people and learn how to connect on the court. Afterward, we went to the bar for a drink (yes, I guess it’s a theme.) However, we arranged our chairs in a large circle so that everyone who came felt comfortable. As it was my first time there, as well as for many others, it was comfortable and fun, even though we broke off into small chats; everyone was made to feel welcome.
The beauty of circles!
These moments got me thinking about all the work/fun vacations (my dad always worked on vacation) my parents took us on, and how we were pushed out of our comfort zones to come up with questions, as well as learn to listen and learn about others' lives. I now appreciate that they did that for us.
Today, I opened up a newsletter called “The Big Think,” which I’m not sure how I received, but I like that it provides me with different viewpoints on the world. If you're interested, here is an article about having conversations with both close friends and new friends.
This week taught me that I won’t always be comfortable, and it’s healthy for my body and brain to experience discomfort for a bit, as it challenges how I live in the world.
