We had a staff party at the small game store I work at last weekend. It was… uncomfortable… to be out in public around so many people, and since it was at a restaurant I was unmasked for the majority of it (I wore my mask into and out of the restaurant, and the space we had was a patio so it was open air, but yeah, I’m a nervous guy).
It was also weird to be around… just… like… a crowd? Crowds are weird, and I don’t handle them super-well. I like talking in front of crowds, and I like attending seminars and classes, but those are different creatures entirely. There is a flow and a tempo, there are expectations and rules. But in social situations with lots of people and no clear “purpose"… yeah, I get nervous. I want to listen to everyone, I want everyone to be able to talk, I want nobody to feel left out or ignored. But I also can’t pay attention to that many people all at once.
It’s nerve-wracking. I had fun, or at least as much fun as I think is currently possible, but yeah, my nerves were shot after a two hour dinner. I even skipped dessert, which is not a sentence I say lightly.
Oh well. Baby steps back towards normalcy, I suppose. Baby steps.
Hope everyone out there is staying safe and healthy!