Livestock and Sea Hags and Gnomes...Oh, MY!!!

So, tonight, I went to a Jewish get-together for 20's and 30's--normally, not my cup o' tea. I often feel like I'm one "moo" away from being part of a cattle drive at these things. Sadly enough, that's actually the least of my potential issues at shindigs such as this one.

Normally, at these types of events, or any social function involving new people for that matter, I find myself standing off in a corner, eyes glazed and cast downward, looking somewhat unhappy to be there. In fact, most times, I'd be pretty shocked if at least two or three people didn't make the comment, "ewwww...who had the bad taste of buying that freakish gnome statue over there in the corner!!"

If I'm not huddled in a corner, I'm drinking waaaayyy too heavily for my own good, in order to compensate for my paralyzing shyness when it comes to meeting new people. When that happens, make no mistake, I end up impressing no one, especially when I'm eventually afflicted with that ancient ailment we all know as Beer Goggles and begin making out with crusty ol' Miss Sea Hag at the bar, who's sporting her very classy, extremely fashionable and über-chic "Silly Homos--Dicks Are for Chicks!!" T-shirt and waiting for that G.I. of hers to return home from 'Nam. Yeah, I'd agree: Not my finest hour.

Tonight was different, though.

Sure, I apologized a lot more than necessary. That's a Hal self-esteem issue that I am still trying to work on. But did I crawl into a corner? Nope! I was out and about, talkative and happy to be there!! Did I drink too much? Nah (of course, as I once asked a police officer who pulled my friend and I over, what's a lot?). And I actually did a good job of keeping up with the conversation. In fact, I even managed to control many of the topics we talked about. To you, readers, that might may not seem like a lot, but for me...it was a nice surprise.

Lately, whether it be through the advancement of personal relationships or just motivating myself to try new things, I've been surprising myself a lot. Ya know, there's nothing better in this life than learning that you're made of so much more than what you initially thought. The most gratifying thing in the world is not so much proving yourself to other people, but proving yourself to, well, yourself. At the end of the day--at the end of this life!!--you are only the person you push yourself to be.

Plus, I met some really cool people who actually seem to have their heads screwed on tight. And these days, that counts for a lot. The fact that they're Jewish is an added bonus because I really don't have any MOT (Members Of the Tribe) friends, here in The Big "O."

So, with a sigh of relief I can say that, yeah, tonight was a good night.