Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Day One: Good Times, Good People

It's a new month, and if you recall from this post, I promised to focus on a different thing every day that will help me refocus on myself. So I give you ...
Day One: Start spending time with the right people.
These are the people you enjoy, who love and appreciate you, and who encourage you to improve in healthy and exciting ways. They are the ones who make you feel more alive, and not only embrace who you are now, but also embrace and embody who you want to be, unconditionally.
The funny thing about this particular item is that my therapist has tasked me with integrating myself into a community, with good people, healthy people. Over the past week, I hit up some YAD events, spent Shabbat with friends and spent Sunday up in Boulder getting to know new and awesome Jews. I think I'm off to a good start. 

The bummer is that so many of the people who love and appreciate me are in far-away lands like New York, New Jersey, Canada, Israel ... and I have them only in my online world. Despite how strong the connections and emotions are, it's not the same as in-person interactions. 

So what can I do to start spending time with the right people? Well, I think that canceling my internet and cable will go a long way in forcing me to be more social. Either that or it will drive me to become quite the hermit. But then I think: Doctor's orders!

I'm trying to spend regular time at the gym, but lately it's only been about three days a week, which is my commitment on GymPact. This past week I flaked and ended up suffering my $15 pact fee. I've never been good at talking to people at the gym, but every time I see someone wearing a remotely Jewish shirt I think "I should talk to that person." Not that I only want to make Jewish friends, but you know, it's the easiest connection for me. 

And, of course, I want to spend more time in Boulder. I feel like the people there, even if they don't know me well, love and appreciate me. 

So Day One: Start spending time with the right people. It's more challenging than you think. I might seem like an extrovert, but shockingly I spend a lot of time with me, myself, and I. 

Do YOU spend time with the right people? If you've also struggled, how have you made it happen?