Socially, I feel like I am back to square one.
Before the tail-end of the COVID-19 lockdowns (around 2021), I have always had a friend-group that I could hang out with, but as of now, I do not think that is the case anymore. I have since moved jobs on a couple of occasions, and it is great for me professionally, as I can now work from home and I am making a better living financially. The problem with my new working arrangements is that I do not get to meet people face-to-face very often. The extent of my physical interactions with people at my work is the occasional office visit once every three months.
On top of that, my old friend group (from a couple of jobs ago) and myself have naturally run its course as I have moved on professionally. Sometimes, I think to myself that my friend group shunned me. I would occasionally see Instagram stories of their nights out, and I wonder why they did not invite me. I do feel sad about that sometimes.
I am naturally introverted and I enjoy my time alone. However, I recognize that I need to socialize with others. There were nights where I would stay at home and play video games or stream movies and TV shows when I would be itching to go out somewhere. I also read that regular and occasional social interaction can be good for a person's health and can even prolong a person's life. With that information, I decided that I would need to try to meet some new people.
I combed through different websites and apps such as Meetup to see if there were any events for people to meet up and hang out with each other or participate in some kind of activity. I did find a few events in my area and in downtown Toronto, but most of the events catered to older age groups. As I was a relatively younger person, I had some difficulty finding events that looked like there were participants around my age. I ended up finding an event for a social gathering for strangers that looked like there would be people around my age at a rooftop bar in Yorkville.
I admit, I was nervous prior to going to the event because I did not know what to expect. I would imagine the first 5-10 minutes to be awkward as we were all new to each other and we would have to introduce ourselves and engage in small talk. I had no idea how the night was going to be. Luckily, because we were at a bar, the alcohol would help us get a little looser and help the conversation flow.
I get to the rooftop bar in Yorkville while on the way, I was drinking a flask of the good stuff on the subway. I am sitting at the bar having a drink while the patrons come in and take their seat at a group of tables in the corner of the bar. I go over and sheepishly introduce myself to several people, take my seat at the table, and start chatting away.
Honestly, I enjoyed this stranger’s night out. After the introductions and a drink, I had a great time meeting these new people. I met and had conversations with locals, as well as people from Australia and India. There was one lady in our group who had a little too much to drink and started to dominate the conversation, but it was all good. Just as I expected, after the first 10 minutes of introductions and trying to insert yourself into some conversations, the night and the conversations flowed naturally. The best thing about this stranger’s night out for me was that I was a blank slate to everyone else. I can show people the true positive side of me that I want people to see for a night and then we all go on our separate ways. I do not have the baggage I would have if I were to go out with my old friend group. For me, this was what made the night go so well.
I want to keep finding these events and keep going to them. I like to give people just the taste of me without going further than that. If I do end up forging some friendships out of these meetings, then that would be great. I think I am a bit of a floater. I do not like to go too deep with people, but rather float around and have surface-level conversations without people getting too interested or invested in me, because that is when the baggage starts for me.
Here is to finding more random meetups!
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