Rave ‘n’ Crave Wednesday: Meetup.com

I’ve always been an introvert. If it wasn’t for theater, I’d still probably be sitting in a corner not talking to people. As I child in church one day, I had gotten tired of this kid always saying the wrong answer, so I chimed in. A woman later exclaimed to my mother, “She can talk! I thought she was mute!” No, I am not mute. I have plenty to say. When people at work say to me, “You’re quiet.” I reply, “My mother says, ‘If I don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.'” Again, I have plenty to say . . . I just don’t. 😉

Most of my friends no longer live in the area. While making friends isn’t hard, it is definitely a challenge. I really wanted to meet some vegans who were around my age. With the exception of the one vegan friend I met at random, the chances of that happening are slim to none! I googled “vegan social groups.” One of the first results was Meetup.com. I don’t know how in the world this website slipped past my tech loving self. I had never heard of it. Over the course of a couple of days on the site, I had managed to join vegan groups, vegan groups for women my age, ballroom dancing groups, social groups, singles groups, event planning groups, and even some networking groups. I’ve rekindled my love of ballroom dancing, went to a bar and danced for hours with a singles social group, and had a lovely dinner with fellow vegans. My schedule now has more ballroom dancing, vegan cupcake brunches, and hikes with vegans followed by lunch at one of my all-time favorite vegan restaurants, Veggie Grill!

I’ve discovered restaurants I never even knew existed. There are even upcoming lunch and dinner plans on my schedule with people I’ve met. I can be an introvert in my home while scheduling myself to hang out with others! I love it!

Now that I’ve lost over 50 pounds, I must say that I’m a different person. It is true when people say, “[That] losing weight won’t make you happy.” It doesn’t. It does, however, change how you view yourself and your life. I am happier because I am not so self-conscious anymore. Living in the moment has new meaning. There is nothing holding me back from doing whatever it is that I want to do. I used to always have an inanimate object for my Facebook profile photo because I didn’t like pictures of myself. I finally took a picture of myself and made it my profile photo. One of my dear friends commented (sarcastically) that it didn’t look like I was enjoying my life at all. People who know me have said that they have never seen me so happy. Sure, like everyone, I still have things in my life that I would like to fix. Does anyone want to buy me a house? There is a great quote from “Eat, Pray, Love” where the main character is advised to “smile in her liver.” She is told to smile so much that it radiates from everywhere. I guarantee you . . . a smile from me these days is a smile from my liver. Now, I can take my happy self and meet other like-minded people thanks to Meetup.com!