I’m kind of a shy person. Okay people who know me well pick your jaws up off the floor, I’m not lying.
Alright let me start over, I can be pretty shy especially in situations when I don’t know everyone. In situations where I know everyone and I am comfortable I have no problem being the center of attention.
I generally keep to myself and honestly I would say I am terrible at making new friends because I tend to not put myself in situations where I don’t know people. If for some reason I do end up in a room full of people I don’t know it would be easy to spot me because I’ll be the person standing off to the side watching everyone else. I am a people watcher and I get so tied up in watching other peoples interactions that I don’t end up making connections myself.
Blogging suits me because I never have to try to strike up a conversation. I just write up whatever is in my head and if by chance someone reads it and is moved to make my post the starting point of a conversation I am happy to oblige.
A couple of weeks ago I decided to take the plunge and put myself out there a bit. After going back and forth for a couple of weeks about whether I should attend a blogging/PR event I had been invited to I decided to push myself out of my comfortable internet protected bubble and head out to meet some real life bloggers at the Glade Fresh Night Out event at the Warwick hotel in Downtown Denver.
I was nervous.
I hadn’t met another blogger in real life and let alone been to a PR hosted event for blogging either. The night was a blast. We ate delicious food, chatted, learned a bit about Glade Sense and Spray and got to put together a couple of super cute gift baskets. (You can win one of the baskets I made at Evolving Mommy Reviews!)
The following week I headed back to Denver’s Downtown to Morton’s Steak House to hang out with the ladies of Mile high Mama’s and Mom it Forward for Moms Night Out.
A tiny bar filled with 40 fantastic, energetic and talkative ladies meant it was impossible for me be a wallflower. It was so much fun to meet and talk to other moms/bloggers that understand blogging. It was so cool to put faces and voices with some of the bloggers that I have seen all over the blogosphere too.
I am pretty proud of myself for nudging myself out of my comfort zone. With joining a gym, the Glade Fresh Night Out, and Moms Night Out Luke is loving that I am stretching myself a little bit and opening myself up to more possibilities. That doesn’t mean he is being any more outgoing then it normally is, but he does like that I have had the chance to connect with people outside of my normal circle.
I have talked with Luke about going to BlogHer in New York next year but I didn’t actually think I would have the guts to go to such a big event without knowing anyone. I could just picture myself standing in some corner hoping I wouldn’t have to make conversation with anyone. But now I do know some people and I know that it isn’t such a difficult thing to make friends with people, especially when those people understand and love blogging too.
By no means am I suddenly comfortable walking into a room filled with people I don’t know but I am trying to make myself a little more comfortable with the idea and in the process am enjoying every minute of new possibilities, personalities and places blogging is opening up for me both in real life and online.
