Tonight is adventure night. Tonight I take a trip out of my city, my district, my comfort zone. A week or so ago a random person on the Internet posted a note on a subreddit: anyone in Ontario want to come for a visit?
Now this is not as out-of-the-ordinary as it seems. The subtreddit in question is r/freemasonry and visiting is one of the things you do as a Freemason; or, at least they say it is. I don’t visit well. Despite what people who know meat think I’m actually quite shy, I just make up for it by being loud and zany. It’s why the zany can sometimes be inappropriate for the situation — it’s not alpha male it’s social anxiety.
Tonight I’m unemployed and thus not required to turn into a pumpkin at ten. That gets rid of that excuse. The meeting is in Orangeville, a not undo-able drive to the opposite side of Toronto. That eliminates the out of the way excuse. In many ways this is the perfect time to make a trip. I have no commitments to keep me out of the car and off the road.
So why am I nervous?
It comes down to the fact that I don’t know anyone. I don’t even know my contact’s real name. Who do I talk to and what do I say?
I sit here in Tim Horton’s using free wifi to distract me from my nervousness. Tonight is an adventure. Tonight I prove that I can actually go on one.