Last night I attended a gathering. I was given the address on the way there and I only had enough mental power to remember the number and street name, none of the landmarks that she, giving the directions, pointed out, or the reasons why it would be hard to find. Instead I trusted that the GPS would lead me to the spot.

It did not.

I ended up in a cul de sac with little kids playing in the street. Something felt wrong. There was no response from she giving the directions so I drove around looking for the address number on a building, and then I saw them. A bunch of giant sculptures in a big grassy field. Sculptures rang a bell, from that phone conversation I didn’t pay enough attention to. And knowing the lady hosting the gathering, I should’ve guessed that the giant piranha car sculpture marked the spot.

I pulled into the grassy parking lot, parking behind a school bus.

There was a registration table at the front entrance with wrist bands to indicate your level of comfortably being in proximity with others. Covid life, you know what I’m talking about. I opted for green, green means go. I hugged a few people. I am not following the rules.

I brought a friend with me to this gathering. She was the one who introduced me to the lady in the first place and I thought it’s be nice if we went together.

I did not really know what I was in for. I thought that the gathering was for a group of people that I had been doing a ZOOM fitness challenge with, but it was not. It was an award ceremony for a group of life guards who had been saving lives at the Tribal Gathering in Panama at the beginning of 2020.

The crossover was this, that a lot of the life guards had been participants in the fitness challenge. It was beginning to make a bit more sense.

The property was beautiful. A lot of open space. A lot of food. There were about five courses of delicious foods all grown on the property. There was a three story tree house. Also, the aforementioned sculptures. There was a lovely stage. People were in costumes. A man wore a dress with a coconut shell bra.

I think my favorite part was the awards. Each trophy was custom made by the leader-lady, I’m gonna call her Lisa to make things easier. Lisa is a tremendous leader and the care that she has for people is very apparent. Right down to the tiny details on the custom made trophies. She wanted to honour these people who made up her life guard crew but each one of them paid respect to Lisa for being such a loving leader.

As I do in social situations sometimes, I sat quietly. Observing my insecurities. Learning to be comfortable when I want to be anxious. I remind myself that there is nothing to prove or nothing that must be done. I am comfortable sitting alone, quietly – watching, listening. And then opportunities do pop up.

I’m not one to run in and make a big splash canon ball. I’m more like a secret pencil dive with minimal wake. But I come up for air and meet people one at a time. It’s more comfortable.

I know a younger me would have lasted only an hour, itching for solitude. Yearning to be alone. But I sat, I met people. I talked about lovely things with lovely people. I watched people express love for one another. I ate tasty food.

It was uncomfortable at times. Being at a party when you don’t really know anyone can be. But unless your willing to do things like that. Your not really gonna meet anyone.

Anto and Jin are both people I met by going to gatherings where I didn’t really know who or what to expect. And then bam! Your neck deep in 66 days of self-reflection. Ha ha.

Anyhow. Here is to pushing past the comfortable to have new experiences which enrich your life. Here is to making new friends and creating new opportunities. Here is to adventure and exploration and the magic of the unknown. Here is to opportunities that you have not yet imagined.

I write this from the safe, comfortable privacy of my bedroom. Curtains drawn, door closed.

I think a balance is good. Comfort and discomfort, co-existing like patches on a quilt of life being lived.