Social Circles

As I get older, I increasingly see the importance of a variety of social circles in my daily existence. For starters, different people bring out different sides of you. It is always fun to explore these multiple facets of one’s own personality, but it is also important in that you show the world who you are and you can figure out where you fit best…where you most feel that you belong. Another valuable reason for keeping many circles is of course the opportunity to meet a much larger group of people. When you aren’t getting any younger and marriage is on the brain, you are more likely to meet that “one” you are searching for if you actually take the initiative to search. As with anything good in life…it takes work and effort.

This weekend’s adventures only reaffirmed my belief in the social circle theory. Friday night I went on a most adventurous and fun filled outing with two of my female friends. A friend of a friend of a friend was hosting a huge party out in a small town with a large house! The adventure began as we decided to use a GPS device to guide us to our destination…instead of the given directions. We stopped for dinner as we thought we were getting close to the previously mentioned shenanigans. Soon after our pit stop, we came to the end of our road…literally. The road was blocked due to a huge snow mound. We stopped and debated what to do for quite some time before deciding to go ALL the way around the other direction…where we were supposed to go in the first place.

As a result of our several hour detour, we did not arrive at the party until midnight. It’s okay though…the party was still going strong with over 50 people there playing games, watching movies, singing karaoke, and enjoying a nice big bonfire in the great outdoors under the vastly lit, star filled sky! I decided upon entering the party, to be as outgoing as possible, and to make the most of the situation. I made my way around the various groups, feeling them out, and letting my presence be known. People seemed generally into their own groups however, and hardly able to break out of them to meet somebody new. No worry though, I kept trekking on despite.

I finally decided to brave the bitter cold outdoors to enjoy that big fire they had ablaze. The group out there seemed slightly more socially welcoming, if not a little awkward in their hickish ways. Immediately a young man made room on his bench for me. The wind seemed to be blowing in my direction causing more than a little irritation to my eyes from the smoke however. I complained about it light heartedly and he said, “I’d tell you to move but you are too pretty to leave.” Well, while that was funny, it still gave me a little bit of confidence to bring on the flirty side of me. After some time, a bench across the fire opened up and he asked if I wanted to move over there. I replied in the affirmative and we both moved to the bench just big enough for two. He kept trying to sit real close and put his arm around me. The fire was nice, the stars were beautiful and the company was…okay! I even saw a shooting star.

It didn’t take me long however, to deduce that the average age of this group was…well, young. The boy making his move on me? Yeah, 22! So, after some quality time enjoying the fire, my friends decided to stroll on back into the house. I told my new friend that I had better follow the masses. He seemed disappointed and said, “really?” Then, he whispered to me, “I hear there is mistletoe in these trees…when there are shooting stars.” (Wait, wait…insert a good hearty laugh here and an award for cheesiest pick up line of the year!!) Okay, now that that is out of the way, I replied with a flirty, “oh really? I just saw a shooting star. It went THAT way.” He said, “ohhh, so maybe it is in those trees over THERE. I should go find it!” Haha but he was 22 and I was not interested, so I went in the house. It gave me a good laugh however, and the confidence to go in and meet the rest of my fellow party goers.

It ended up being a late night with little sleeping time, but that’s what parties are all about, right? In the morning we had a nice big breakfast, I mingled some more, and then went out to play in the snow with my friends. The snowmobiles were taken so we set out to find a good hill to sled/tube down. While we were mostly unsuccessful at this endeavor, we still had a good time. People were snowball fighting, four wheeling, snowmobiling, and when my party and I had to leave, they pulled out horses for a sleigh ride. Good party. Still however, I left a little disappointed. More than anything, I guess I was just discouraged at the wide array of people, yet lack of social variety. I wondered for the billionth time in my life how I would ever find a husband among such crowds. I don’t think I will quite honestly, but it makes me feel better to be out there trying at least.

After arriving home I realized I was pretty exhausted. Even still, I had more partying to attend to that night so I tried to get a few things done and visit with family. The Saturday night party was held by a friend of my down in Provo. It was a game night with a bunch of her peeps. I thought it was super fun and rather refreshing after the previous party. Why? Well, these people are just chill. They were friendly, fun, and not afraid to just be themselves. I was pretty low key but I had fun being in the atmosphere, and knowing I was out and about, and not wallowing in self pity at home. Good weekend. Good indeed. Many more such adventures are on the horizon with planning already in the works. Tomorrow night should be packed with fun, social opportunities, and lots of entertainment. Stay tuned!