More laughs.

Making friends takes work. Sometimes work I don't want to put in. Yesterday I saw some of the results of my efforts and I was pleased.

I went to the drum circle solita. Surprisingly something that is pretty hard for me to do. People often think I'm more social than I am. I have a large amount of social anxiety that seeps through my pores when I am forced to do things alone.... well rather, when alone carrying hope or intention of making friends.

I got to the circle trying to shrug off the loneliness within. Immediately I spotted a new "friend". I use the term friend loosely as we maybe had interacted once prior to this encounter. He was sleeping under a tree. I figured it was appropriate to wake him for the sake of company; luckily my weak filter balances my social anxiety and allows for me to do socially unacceptable things to people.

Dan is an activist that plays harmonica and fixes and rides bikes. He's a bit stinky and prefers not to launder his clothing. He writes short stories and has a show on Madison's public radio. He's like every hipster boy I knew in Tucson.

While chatting, hooping, and harmonaking with my new man Dan I quickly spotted another acquaintance. Like I said before, beggars can't be choosers, so I take what I can get, however it's possible this person might not make it to friend status. We chit chatted and then I went back to the harmonica.

Moments later I saw Sakar. My new hairy friend. He was hooping at the front of the circle, which meant I was only going to say a quick hello and move back to my hidden spot.

Once back to my spot I ran into an old friend and former neighbor Drex and hooped alongside him for awhile.

Not ten minutes went by until my new friend Lisa and her boyfriend Alex trotted up. My man Dan and Sakar sat down and joined the Lovely Lisa and Alex and I. Within ten minutos my brother-in-law's sister and girlfriend walked by and joined us. While laughing with Rosie and Lisa, my new crush the Turkish Murat biked his way over. It was a gentle mist of freshness.

I spent the rest of my evening eating pupusas and drinking bad margaritas with 5 lovely and 1 slightly annoying new people.

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1 month ago I went to the drum circle all by myself. Not a familiar face to be seen.

Yesterday I walked there alone, riddled with familiar smiles, new hugs, and more laughs.