It was not the day for it.
It was a Wednesday and I was already short on sleep.
I had a massive day of meetings, with my eyelids already heavy by 3pm.
And then to top it off? I had Clare Elizabeth Dea’s glitz and glam book launch cabaret that night.
Despite my original RSVP of heck yes, I wanted anything BUT to go out after work.
Within a minute of entering the event, a woman with a bright smile walked straight up to me and said “Omg, you know Brian McCarthy!!!”
It took a second for me to process. “Oh yes, I know him! Wait, how did you know? What’s YOUR name?”
And now, we were excitedly trying to connect the dots of the mutuals we had (Which were quite a few!).
At the end of the night, I was the one who didn’t want to leave. There were old friends who I bumped into and new friends I’d made.
By 10pm, much later than the event finish time, I reluctantly left the venue. On my way out, I walked past a pub. A man shouted out “Omg you look beautiful!”.
My stomach dropped as I thought, “Oh no, I’m about to be harassed”
Then immediately, chimed in another voice, a woman’s voice: “Omg So beautiful, THAT HAIR, that dress, WOW. You are SLAYING. STUNNING!”
She then said “Oh his nails match your dress!”
I looked down at the man’s glittering red nails. In a split second, I realised what was happening.
It was a group of 2 women and one man. They weren’t harassing me, they were just here to hype me up!
I walked back to my car glowing and giddy with happiness.
Oh, how we should be cautious to trust our immediate feelings. Earlier today, I wanted to do anything BUT go out. Especially since I was going alone.
Now? I’d just had the best night. I was exhausted, but my cup was full, and I felt so much joy of collective goodness in the world.
And that’s the thing: Comfort is dangerous drug. Nobody wants to go out and face discomfort where they could be in the safety of their usual routine.
But go. Do it.
Go out to that event by yourself.
Pitch yourself for that thing.
Speak up what you’re thinking.
We don’t feel most alive when we’re doing nothing at home. We feel alive when we are out in the world, participating as our full selves.
Trang x
