I Actually Went Out on a Saturday Night

I had a fun time tonight.

One of my friends was going to a gay bar tonight with his friends for his birthday and he invited me to join. He knows I’m not into the bars/clubs scene but also knows I want to do things to get out of my comfort zone. So, I graciously accepted the invite and went out, because it was his birthday. That, and he's a busy guy so I hadn't seen him in ages.

I was very nervous and overthinking everything on my way down there. I was so worried about things like “what if I’m not wearing the right clothes? What if the music’s too loud? What if I get sick? What if there are too many people?” It took every ounce of logic in my mind to tell myself it’s not going to be that bad, and that I’m overthinking things. For those unaware, I've been to a gay bar/nightclub maybe 3 times in my entire life. I got there and the place was fairly empty and the music wasn’t too loud. I grabbed a drink and sat on a couch, my friend and his bestie showed up about half an hour later and we hung out by the dance floor.

Now... I definitely don’t dance; I have fun people watching, and in tonight’s case catching up with the birthday boy. As the night went on the music got louder, the place started to fill up, and despite the alcohol my comfort limits were being pushed. So after a while I gave the birthday boy a big hug, wished him a good night and headed home.

I could have politely declined his initial invite but I’m glad I didn’t. I’m glad I went out there to socialize and meet people. I’d never seen a go go dancer in person before! The eye candy was quite pleasant!

There’s a lot I haven’t ever done before, mainly due to having a lot of anxiety toward trying things, so to those who are accustomed to the nightlife scene this post may seem pretty lame. It’s important for me, though, because I pushed my limits and had a good time, and left when enough was enough.

Is this something I’ll do every day? Not at all. Every month? I doubt it, but I’m just not comfortable in situations with very loud music and lots of people. I don’t regret going out tonight at all, and I did have a great time. I’m glad I got to see the birthday boy and meet some of his friends, but I’d also like to see him and his friends at a dinner some time where we could actually converse and get to know each other in a quieter setting.

As always thanks to those who read my posts, and a special thank you (and happy birthday) to the birthday boy for inviting me out, and getting me out of the house!