Meet Ups

It's taken me awhile, but I recently stumbled on the whole "meet up" thing that's all the rage on the internet. Take any interest you have and plug it into the meet up site to come up with groups of strangers who meet periodically over that interest. Kind of like clubs in high school. Last night I went to coffee with a bunch of people, young and old, who meet to practice their Spanish. Conversations ran the gamut - from Heart Castle, to Chavez and socialism, to poverty and the caste system in India..... all in Spanish. This is a feat for me. I am shy. I don't enjoy the discomfort of plopping myself into a group of strangers. But I am doing it. People are nice, generally interesting, and there are always at least one or two completely socially awkward people in the bunch, but good for them for making a go at it, too. My stranger tolerance level at this point is about an hour and a half, but I ain't balking at that. The loss of my most intimate friends to moving, marriage and children has forced the issue and I'm getting out of my comfort zone, people. This has been a season of discomfort and fear facing like no other as God shapes me and continues to help me embrace my womanhood. Huzzah! Looking forward to more hikes, speaking Italian, and maybe a little ping pong on the side.

Entertaining side note: That cute black and white kitty I almost petted yesterday morning on the way to my car? That weren't no kitty. It were a skunk. Note to Staci: Wear glasses outside of work.