What shall I wear?
What shall I take?
Do you turn up with biscuits, cake, boat parts?
Do I need a pen and notebook?
I'm of an age where a fork doesn't necessarily always reach my mouth...........and food doesn't quite make it into the mouth on the odd occasion.....hand and eye coordination occasionally suffer and it isn't to do with alcoholic consumption........I don't dribble yet....so in fairness.......
Oh dear God, I don't know any jokes. I DONT KNOW HOW to tell a funny joke!!! Help!
I haven't got any great sailing yarns, no epic sailing adventures. I'm not sure my story of singing Nellie the Elephant at the top of my voice in the pitch dark on an open dusty track in the middle of Namibia, to scare away the wild elephants that had been rampaging in the area warrants epic or funny (on reflection......you had to be there....it was both....trust me). Me weeing over a sleeping lion by accident in the Masai Mara.....probably not a good one either.........
I can't sail off a mooring without a disaster. I can't sail onto a mooring....without a disaster.
I can't leave Arwen with her sail unfurled on a beach ......without a disaster.
I haven't moored overnight just under anchor...........this is embarrassing.........
I've sailed off an anchor........let's not go there!
I'm socially inept....I hang about with teenagers most of the day and have their sense of humour and insecurities.........at least I haven't got any spots..............
I've sprayed my trainers liberally with foot spray so they shouldn't smell if I have to take them off.......well one has to think about these social niceties! Don't you?
Got to buy tissues and mints....and try to remember which ones to use where.......when under pressure.
I don't know any of them ....its a meal around one of their houses...........this is high pressure stuff.......they have seen the blog. More scarily they have seen the videos on my YouTube channel. My incompetency in a boat is laid bare......nowhere to hide...
Did I say I am socially inept....complete inability to pick up on normal social cues!
Why do I say yes to these things?
It will be ok. They are human. They all learnt to sail at some stage. Their emails are witty and funny. Some are incredibly knowledgeable (I know nothingggggggg!) The only way I can get better as a dinghy cruiser is to sail with them and learn......fast! Time to get outside my comfort zone. I have to prepare for retirement....more sailing time and no excuses.
Breath, slowly, positive thoughts, it will be ok.........they are nice, good people....and they already know I'm an idiot........what can possibly go wrong?
(Please God, please, don't let me run over their cat or drop a plate of food on a new carpet!)
4 comments:
Steve...
Sit in the back, listen, nod occasionally, say NOTHING... You don't have to say anything, do you? Except for a few pleasant hellos...
Silence is Golden...
Relax, have a good time, be a sponge and soak up as much information as you can - particularly the social cues of such a meeting.
Bob
Better to say nothing and have people think you're a fool than to open your mouth and have it confirmed beyond doubt. At least that's been my experience when meeting others (many times; many, many times...)
I'm sure you'll be fine and I look forward to your RAID blogs this summer.
Stuart
On the other hand.......people like to talk about their shared interests. In fact you have had many experiences, so just ask the odd question or three. You are probably a great 'starter of conversations!'
Cheers,
AlanH.
I listened! I'm very good at that.....thirty odd years listening to teenagers......I like listening to people. All people are amazing and everyone has tales to tell. So I became a sponge. The DCA members I met were wonderful, highly talented, practical people with many a tale to tell. Truly an association worth joining.
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