Just sayin, for April, we were cool.  We didn’t go rappelling or heli-skiing.  But dressing up and going to the Art Museum for a silent auction and cocktail party was definitely a move in the hip direction.  As excited as I was for our planned date, making small talk and being interesting and engaging is not my forte.  In fact, I would never consider going to a function like this without Kev.  It’s just not “me.”  I am more of a hang out at home and drink wine by the fire kind of girl…even in April.

With that being said, pushing me (or us) out of our comfort zone is what tired dating is all about.  See Naked Glass Walking.   I could say to Kev, “look, I am just not a big crowd kind of girl so let’s just go to dinner and a movie,”  but where will that leave us? Stuck in a no-growth rut, that’s where.  Relationships/marriages need to be pushed and stretched and made to feel uncomfortable at times because it is in those times can one go to another level of intimacy, understanding, and emotional depth.  And sometimes it turns out to be a lot of fun.

Just picture it…the Columbia Museum of Art all lit up as night falls…art appreciators arriving dressed in every range of fashion from artsy grunge to cocktail chic.  Kev could have worn his “More Cowbell” t-shirt  and been received as avant-garde without a doubt.

…and the only cure, is More Cowbell.

There was music, wine, food…and art for sale.  I was feeling very hip and cool.  And having my very own “social butterfly” next to me made it even more enjoyable.  Kev’s ease in a crowd and outgoing demeanor helped me spread my wings a bit.  Over the course of the evening we conversed with several acquaintances whom we had never had the pleasure of getting to know socially.  I also met several of Kev’s colleagues from his new software web world.  I was on a roll!  By ten o’clock the art auction was winding down, but an “after hours” art auction at Hunter Gatherer (a local brewery and restaurant) was next on the schedule, and since we were having such a great time we decided to keep the night going.   By now, approaching ten thirty, we were waaaay off the traditional date radar.  An “after party” at a brewery at TEN THIRTY pm!…I am usually an hour into my stretchy pants by then.

After finding a seat outside we spent the next two hours talking, laughing and sharing our lives with a sweet couple who were also fellow “cool people” for the night.  Inside we could hear the art auction give way eventually to live music.  As the evening closed we parted ways with our friends and expressed thanks for the impromptu “double date,” the great surprise of the evening.  I limped to the car fighting the urge to take my shoes off and walk barefoot through the dark parking lot, but even though I am a little cooler now, I have not lost my senses…metropolitan midnight pavement and sidewalks are full of nasty uncool germs.

Yes, trying new things can be painful but it can also be exciting and rewarding!  Here’s to more “uncomfortable” dates, even if I do decide to wear my Naturalizer flats with a springy cushion innersole.