The More The Merrier

The process of self-discovery is ongoing and lifelong. I'm still learning to recognize what situations I like best and what fully makes me tick.

I don't know why or what it was, but for most of the last 2.5 years or so, I stuck very exclusively with very few people. Maybe I thought I wasn't capable of becoming emotionally intimate with more than a few people, or maybe I thought that's how social lives are supposed to look. Regardless, hindsight is 20/20 and now I'm fully aware that that social setup isn't what makes me happiest.

See, I'm kind of a social butterfly, and by that I mean I am extroverted to the extreme. When I was younger, I would seek to be around groups of people in an effort to pull myself out of my own head. Maybe I learned to love being around groups of people, or maybe it was how I've always been, but now that I'm older, I seek people and groups because I love to talk and laugh and tell stories, and quite honestly, I do get bored of binge watching Netflix. I feel very comfortable with new people, and with large groups.

So when my 22nd birthday was coming up, I knew I wanted to gather as many of my friends in one room as possible. Along with the help of my roommates, we threw a party at Applebee's and close to 30 friends showed up. Quite a few faces couldn't make it, which was sad, but overall it was a beautiful night, filled with hugs and love and joy. Here's a few photos:

                                                             One end of the table:

A few of my amazing coworkers:         

                                                                                                            

And general shenanigans:

Yes, sometimes I overextend myself with all that extraversion and then I need to pull back and get in some hardcore alone time, but hanging out with lots of different people, either apart, or in the same room, is my ultimate happy place. It's where I feel most comfortable and most like myself.

What took me so long to finally realize that's how I wanted to live that particular aspect of my life? Who knows. But I know I have a better idea and a lot more experiences to draw from, and I'm working on fostering a lot of connections that I had written off or neglected. 

I'm an open book, and I'm thankful I'm surrounded by so many incredible people who have cared enough to flip through those pages with me. 

Be patient, loving, and kind. Until next time,

-Megan