Hello All, and welcome to the next installment of Making my Mark on the world. In this brief post, I preview social events for the week ahead.
Today is an exciting day for me. I am finally going to the National Zoo. I’ll be meeting up with Jane and her sister. This is a trip that I’ve wanted to do since I’ve moved to the city. It is finally here. It might not sound like much, but getting together like this is something that has not been a part of my life for too long.
Loneliness has been a struggle. Feelings of loneliness are amplified when I isolate, yet I have found myself isolating in my apartment frequently. The only antidote is to take action. In recent days, I have started going on brief walks near my apartment. The fresh air and change of scenery feels amazing. Today, I will be taking even more action by going to the zoo. I can’t wait to catch up with Jane and also to see panda cubs. Truth be told, I am a little nervous because I have not met with Jane since January. This is an area where self doubt starts to creep in. Will I be awkward? Will I be able to carry on a conversation? However, Jane is a supportive friend even if my conversational skills are not perfect. Therefore, this self doubt is likely unwarranted.
Furthermore, tomorrow represents an even different kind of adventure. I will be going to an icebreaker event with singles in the DC area. There is a lot of unknown. I won’t know who is attending. For example, I won’t know their ages or hobbies ahead of time. However, the one thing I do know is that everyone that signed up for the event is looking for companionship in one way or another. That is a beautiful thing. I recently found a quote that summarizes loneliness really well.
"Lonely is not being alone, it's the feeling that no one cares."
— Unknown
At this event, people will care.
I am both excited and scared to meet new people, but I know that it is critical to do so. I am not going to put too much pressure on myself. Just getting out and meeting new people is a win. However, I realize that to feel fulfilled in life and to truly make my mark on the world, I will need to build more relationships. This week, I am taking steps to do that.
I’ll post a recap of how things go. As always, I’ll include the pros and cons. It will be real insights and feelings from the events. Thank you for reading Making my Mark on the world. I am grateful for your readership. Please feel free to reach out to me if you are interested in collaborating in any way. I am always looking to learn and grow, as well as to help others in any way that I might be able to.