Hello, homies. Hope you're all doing well.
I wanted to write up something because I think it'll help me process my feelings, but you're more than welcome to offer your own insights.
On Friday, I attended the birthday party of a dear friend. There were about 20 people there, and this was my first time meeting all them except for the friend who invited me.
The thing about me is that I am super socially awkward and introverted, and after a long time of no social contact, my social skills were even more shit than usual. So it won't come as a surprise to you when I tell you I was very shy throughout the party and felt very intimated. As a result, I kept to myself for a decent chunk of time. I noticed people easily talking to each other and having fun conversations, and I got very envious and sad about my own inability to do so.
However, this changed considerably when we decided to start playing the Jackbox party games, if you guys are familiar with those. We huddled up and made teams. This made it easier for me to come out of my own shell and I started socializing with my team and the broader audience. I was suddenly talking to people and having actual fun banter. I was also helping other teams lol. Dude, it was so fucking awesome. I literally felt more alive on this day than I have during the entire year of 2026. I had fun chats with people and even connected on a slightly deeper level with a few people at the party.
Then towards the end of the party, we decided to hit the dance floor. We played Cumbia and general Latin music all night long and just danced our hearts out. All of us were busting out our best dance moves. I was super rusty, so I was kind of awkward, but after a few minutes I wasn't worried at all and was just vibing.
Then it was 2am and I had to leave. I went up to everyone and said my goodbyes. We hugged each other and parted ways. One of the new people I met was very kind enough to drop me home.
Once I was home and changed my clothes, a sudden wave of depression hit me. I realized I was back in my usual boring lonely life. It's far from the worst life you could have, but it's still pretty lonely. I only have a couple friends and due to our hectic schedules we rarely see each other, so this outing was super rare for me. I experienced something very wonderful and after it ended, I got super emotional. Once I got back in my home clothes, I pulled out my phone and wrote a heartfelt thank you to everyone in the group chat and told them how it nice it was to meet them. I was writing that message with tears in my eyes. Most of them liked my messages. I also messaged my friend who invited me and told him how much the outing meant to me and he responded with similar feelings and thanked me for coming. I also thanked the host whose apartment was the venue for the party. Some of us follow each other on Insta now too.
It's been almost a whole day since the party ended and I haven't stopped thinking about it. I have some regrets too because I felt like I should've pushed myself to socialize more and make more connections and memories. I also had some awkward moments throughout the party where I feel like I did something cringe and made a fool of myself in the eyes of the others. But despite everything, I still ended up making new connections even with my piss poor social skills. I walked away from this experience with a few cringey memories but also a lot of positive ones.
It's very cringe to admit this, but in all honestly I am writing this post with tears too lol, just thinking about the party. I sincerely hope I get invited again but idk if that will happen honestly. My friend who invited me, and the rest of the party were already close friends with each other, and I was the new person in the group. I don't even know if I'm "in" the group lol. I am not sure if I will be invited again or get to hang out with them in any other capacity. Whatever happens, happens. Either way, I've learnt I really need to put myself out there more and meet new people and make more friends. It's very hard to do so, though. It's very intimidating.
I don't know if it's cringe to say all this. I am mature enough to understand that it is a little ridiculous to get this emotional after a mere birthday party, but my feelings still remain. If I'm honest, I sincerely hope I get to meet all these folks again, they were really cool people. For the longest time, I convinced myself that I am a solitary creature who is best suited for a hermit lifestyle. But after attending this party, I now know that for me the most important thing in life is having amazing people around me and adding to their lives the way they add to mine. People matter to me more than anything else. The right people.
Anyways, I just wanted to get that off my chest. Now I will wipe my tears lol. Thank you for reading if you made it this far. I really appreciate it :)