In last week’s post, I spoke about how this Blog had no specific direction; not one that I’ve decided just yet. So, I thought to start with some storytelling! Don’t worry, it won’t be a long list of stories from my childhood but simply stories or things that happen on a weekly basis from post to post! So let’s get this show on the road, shall we?
Social Awkwardness:
Social awkwardness. We’ve all experienced it at some point in our lives be it in our childhood or adulthood. Some find ways to get over it by practicing, taking classes or reading books while others have a difficult time. It could be anything from shyness to social anxiety to the simple fact that you’re uncomfortable surrounded by people you don’t know. Hopefully this little tale will give you an insight on my psyche when it comes to being social:
Friday night was one of those nights where you and your family are invited to this other family gathering. My cousin had recently given birth so this event was like a celebration of a new life being born into the world; courtesy of her husband’s family. It’s one of the many traditions we have in our nook of the world. It started out with the painful mission of picking out something to wear. After rummaging around for a few moments, I found one of my favorite go-to outfits; a long satin sleeveless dress with a neck tie. It was shimmery with stripes of black, orange and and a soft beige, varying in widths. It was matched with black heels that had black spikes at the back of it. The make up was simple as was my hair.
Once everyone was ready, we headed out towards her in-laws’ house and let me tell you, they had a beautiful home. Walking in, I took off my abaya and gave it to one of the hostess’s so she could hang it. When I walked into the living room, I was shocked. I had never seen so many women gathered in one space other than a wedding and given that all of them were from her husband’s side of the family, I knew none of them except for her mother in-law. So we passed around, greeting everyone and I could feel their eyes on me [or at least felt them to be].
I wanted so badly to go home; it just felt too foreign, too awkward. There were times when I felt over dressed and this only made me feel stranger. My cousins shortly arrived and they’ve all banned together in a little corner, leaving me for a few moments to be seated with my mother. My sister and cousins were only a few years younger than I was but I’ve always felt like I had nothing in common with them even though when we hung out, we did enjoy ourselves but I’ve never actively tried to spend time with my cousins. Anyway, I digress.
The evening started out very slow and the longer I sat here, the longer I wanted to go home. Once I started enjoying myself with cousins and relatives that I haven’t seen in a long time, I began to loosen up a bit but never enough to actually interact with any of the women that I didn’t know. I suppose I’m not very good at leaving my comfort zone. I clung to the people I knew and my mind just simply rejected everything else and blocked it out. The night went by, we celebrated the baby boy, we ate dinner and all and all it was a lovely evening but I couldn’t help but wonder about something; had there not been anyone I recognized, would it have been just as fun? For me, probably not. There is an urge in me to interact, to be better at socializing, to be better at walking up to someone and make friends. I spent the first three months of college eating alone and keeping to myself because I was too shy.
Moral of the story: Don’t ever be too shy or too scared. It’s a high chance that people will like you and enjoy what you have to contribute.
Forgetfulness
Ever heard the term ‘You’re so forgetful, you’d have forgotten your head somewhere if it weren’t attached to your shoulder’? There couldn’t really be a more accurate phrase to describe me. I am probably the most forgetful person I know. I go through this thing where I remember the event but can’t place the day. A day or two ago feels like a week to me and funny enough a week sometimes feels like a day ago. Everything just melds together. This story is something I’m sure most of us have gone through:
I was leaving the vet after getting my cat checked. He had an eye problem and the doctor wasn’t sure if it was from his cold or if his lower lid had curved into his eye a bit. I called my sister to see if she still had the driver but then she offered to go for some burgers at The Counter which is one of my favorite places to go. They have an excellent veggie burger. I had my phone in my hand, which at the time I didn’t realize was a mistake, as I was getting into the car. During the whole drive, we were deciding where we wanted to go and eventually settled on the burger place, mind you all the while I wasn’t even thinking about my phone because I was confident I still had it.
Once we got in and settled into a table, I remembered that the place had free wifi so naturally I opened my bag and wanted to pull my phone and much to my dismay, I couldn’t find it. The first thought I had was that it must have fell in the car somewhere so we called and checked but it wasn’t there. Then I thought I may have forgotten it at the vet so, again, I called but it wasn’t there. During this stage, panic had yet to set in even though a frightening thought had dawned on me; it must have fell on the street while I was getting out of the car.
Now, any person would have panicked at this point but for some reason, I didn’t or at least I didn’t let it set in just yet. Funny enough, my mom called my sister and asked to speak to me. She asked me if I had lost my phone and told me that a man had found it on the street and he’d be happy to deliver it to where I was. Relief had washed over me like cool rain during a hot summer night. After a few phone calls, my phone was retrieved and I sat with my sister, laughing about the incident. She found my lack of panic to be strange and said if it were her, she’d have lost her mind.
Moral of the story: Never walk around with your phone in your hand and always place it in your purse when you don’t need it. Whenever you’re leaving a place or car, double check if you have your phone with you and most importantly, don’t fret over it. In the end it’s just a phone and you can always get a new one.
Discussion:
1) What are some of your best or worst social experiences? Do you suffer form social anxiety or awkwardness and if so, how did you overcome it?
2)What are some of your most funniest moments of forgetfulness? Are you as forgetful as I or worse? What is your process of working around it?
Share your stories in the comments bellow, I’d love to hear them!
Quote of the day:
“Self-consciousness is the enemy of all art, be it acting, writing, painting, or living itself, which is the greatest art of all.” ― Ray Bradbury
Silly Thoughts 