My journey with sobriety has allowed me to discover new things in life. New friendships are exposing me to new experiences. Last night was another such experience. I had been invited by a friend to give line dancing a try. Last night Bryon and I went to the town of Loganville to Drifters Saloon to meet up with her and her husband. When we arrived Aimee was already busy on the dance floor. There were people of all ages there to take part in the activities! From young 20 year olds, to seniors in their 70s or 80s. Everyone was wearing a huge smile. Aimee enthusiastically ran up to me to pull me onto the dance floor. She rushed me to the front of the group so that I could get a better view of the instructor. I was familiar with a few of the dance moves due to my previous dancing experience, so I felt a little less nervous. Watching Aimee attempting to follow along made me way more comfortable. We both messed up terribly at times, but instead of feeling shame or embarrassment, we burst out laughing without any care of judgment. It was very freeing! I used to worry about what others thought of me, but no more. These days I am enjoying my life. I am stepping out of my comfort zone. I am learning to try and do new things. I have let go of any fear of failure that used to hold me back!
In my book Dance of the Dragonfly, I share my story of learning to love myself and believing in myself. I show how fear of failure held me back. I no longer strive for perfection or validation. I enjoy life as it comes. The bad days teach me valuable lessons and the good days bring me immense joy.
These daily experiences are bringing a whole new set of friends my way. I look forward to getting to know more about the people I encounter. After self isolating for years I feel like I am able to see the world through new eyes! Like a child who looks at the world with wonder. I am excited for each new day. No more dread or negativity to hold me back. I am curious about everything. I look up to the heavens for guidance each morning during my morning hot tub soak and meditation. I look for the glimmers in each day with eager anticipation. I am grateful to be alive and to be able to connect with others again. Humans need connection with others.I think this is why I enjoy being a caregiver so much.
As a society we need to step out of our comfort zone more often. We need to experience discomfort and failure in order to grow. I tended not to attempt new things because I was afraid of looking foolish. Fear of failure stopped me from even trying. It was difficult for me to meet and make new friends for a while. Friendships I thought I would have for years fell to the wayside. Hurt and feelings of betrayal kept me from exploring new friendship opportunities so I gave up. I regret that now. I am learning to get more comfortable with discomfort. I am putting myself in situations now where I might make some new friends. I understand that when we experience discomfort in our body that our body is telling us that something isn’t right. It is time for us to slow down and figure things out. Making friends can be intimidating, but there’s nothing like finding your tribe! I am grateful for the new friends that I have made.
How do you meet new people? What’s a quality you value in your friends? Drop me a note in the comments!
Namaste.
Dancing Our Way Back to Health
