The Brutal Honesty of 12-Year Olds

Mitchell visited my apartment for the first time yesterday. While looking through a number of pictures, he quickly picked up on two points: 1) that I and my friends have traveled and lived all over the world; 2) that all my friends are couples while I am soley single. The second point, he took special delight in rubbing in (though I do have single friends!). Not that my single status hasn't occurred to me in the past few months. If only he had attended Dave & Alexandra's engagement party to note that I'm also falling behind in child rearing.

Despite Mitchell's digs, I don't need to feel lonely. This past week... well, really the past few months, I've been reminded of the wealth of friends I have built up and whom I've seen much more regularly, despite my studies. Feeling lonely and single then just distracts from enjoying the time I am sharing with them.

Jason mentioned that these posts are often product placement through the lens of my experience. If anything, that observation exposes a failure on my part to convey how my experience is enriched by my friends and family. Sure I've explored on my own, and adopted that as a character trait, but friends have guided me towards interesting experiences, or helped me understand richness, or most often, simply themselves been wonderful, comforting and engaging. So I like my life now... though it would be fun to share.

A final note on the singularity, and how luck favors the prepared. A suggestion for my fellow shy: carry a box of chocolates with you and you'll make friends, even if you don't share the candy.