I did something today that is completely outside of my comfort zone! I attended a meet and greet with a group of about 60 other 30-60ish year old single men and women in Louisville. I knew absolutely no one...and I had a great time!
If you aren't familiar with the website www.Meetup.com, you should check it out. There are hundreds of different interest groups in each city that you can join. (I am in the digital photography group, the book club group, the movie lovers group, the board game lovers group, the new to Louisville group, and the Louisville singles group!) As a member of a group, you receive invitations to monthly or weekly events and become part of the community!
If you know me, you know that I am very comfortable with my friends, but when in a situation with people I don't know, I get nervous, clam up and somehow forget how to form any type of intelligent conversation!
I had been wanting to attend one of these Meetups for a while, but have always chickened out at the last minute. But, for this particular one, a payment of $5 was required in order to RSVP "yes," which I did about two weeks ago, and I wasn't about to skip out after I had already paid!
It was held at Wick's Pizza Parlor on Bardstown Road (one of the great, artsy areas of the city), which has been voted the best pizza in Louisville! (By the way, I didn't take any photos at the event...shame on me....so this photo is from Google image search!)
I walked in and was immediately greeted by two gentlemen who were sitting at the bar, Chas and Ronald. We chatted for a little while, had a drink (water for me!) and then the meetup organizers starting handing out BINGO cards! It was the type of Bingo where each box had a human characteristic, hobby, or like/dislike and the goal was to fill the whole card by finding someone who fulfilled each criteria! We mingled quite a bit, I talked to several nice people, and by the time the game was over, the pizza was ready!
While waiting in line for pizza, I spoke with a lady named Terri. She was very nice. We exchanged phone numbers and she told me she would love to join me on any of my "Falling 4 Lou" adventures, or just to hang out and grab dinner one night. It's nice to make new friends!
I ended up sitting with two ladies named Maria and Veronica while we ate. The pizza really was good! Or maybe it just tasted extra good because I'm on a diet and have not had pizza in a long time! Haha! I spent the rest of the evening talking with Maria and Veronica and laughing about all sorts of things. It felt like I was out just having a good time with my friends! It was nice.The Meetup officially ended at 9:00pm, but we sat and talked until about 9:20.
I didn't meet any prospective husbands or anything like that, but the food was good, the ambience was perfectly laid-back, and I had a great time. I laughed so much my cheeks hurt, and I was really proud of myself for stepping out of my comfort zone with confidence! I'm so glad I went, and now I can't wait for future get-togethers!
Well if the girl we found hiding behind her peephole can do it, so can I! I'm off to find some friends in Austin... Wish me luck!
ReplyDeleteHaha! Indeed! Good luck! :-)
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