Feed the ducks and such

This morning we had a play date at Furman with a Greenville Meet Up group.  I joined this group in an attempt to get out, socialize the girls and meet some ladies that might have SOME things in common with me. It is very hard to find people who have the same ideals as Josh and I do and it has really been a struggle to make friends when you don't have anything in common with anyone you meet. We aren't really weird or have a strange religion or anything, we are just what you would call frugal hippies maybe. You know, homeschooling, pro breastfeeding, cloth diapering, healthy eating, stay at home mom. We joke often that we should just up and move to Asheville where we might fit in a little better, but our mothers would kill us if we even considered it. 

So anyway, I have a little social anxiety when it comes to meeting new people, but usually I push through it because I know there is an experience to be enjoyed in the end. Here are a few thoughts that went through my head as I was laying in bed last night, trying to sleep, to give you a better understanding of what I deal with every time I am approaching an event I know I have to interact with adult women.

I am terrified of meeting these people. 

I hate getting out of my comfort zone. 

I have no buddy to go with me. (Josh is usually my comforter)

I'm scared I will get lost. 

I'm nervous about being out of place. 

Worried my kids won't interact. 

Worried they won't have fun.

Scared I will have a bad mommy moment. 

Scared we will be late. 

So there it is. My thoughts raw and unedited. And you know what? Some of that stuff actually happened. I got lost, I was late, the girls didn't interact, I did feel slightly out of place but, as always, we did enjoy ourselves in the end and THAT is really all that matters. 

We fed the ducks, had a picnic lunch, played with bubbles, picked wild flowers, talked about pinecones and how they work and Lydia found a marble. I met some nice ladies and didn't make a complete fool of myself. No, they didn't have a whole lot in common with me, but that's ok. 

Here are some shots of our outing:

As soon as we got home I RSVP'd yes to 2 more events. I love introducing a variety of things to our girls because I feel it makes them well rounded and they see there is a world outside of their own. That may be the only thing that pushes me over my fears. One of my goals as a mother is to not pass that fear of interacting and doing something new onto my children. If I accomplish that I can say I did okay. 

It isn't pleasant stepping out to interact and doing something new to me but, really, isn't it supposed to be a little uncomfortable when you get out of your comfort zone?