I made the jump. Yes, I made the jump from the YSA crowd to the Mid-singles crowd. (They actually like to drop the ‘mid’ part but for clarification purposes they use it.) This leap actually occurred back in May but I have failed make record of it here. Not because I was embarrassed or anything. I just haven’t gotten around to it. The transition actually was not as horrific as I feared. It was actually somewhat refreshing. Yes, I am now going to that huge mid-singles ward that you have heard all about. And, yes, everything you’ve heard about it is true. It is huge. There is no parking. It has its characters. The gal to guy ratio is about 2.36 to 1. But it is also a lot of fun and there are a lot of fantastic people. In fact, they define “thirty, flirty, and thriving.” Making it a really great crowd to be a part of. I was fortunate to have a friend with a good attitude help me make the jump and I have decided to see the positive, keep that good attitude, and smile at the little trivial awkwardness that might exist.
Something that I did find interesting in my first few weeks is that I kept hearing people say that it is so hard to meet people here. And to that I looked around and thought, “Are you kidding me? With all these people here you think it is hard to meet people?” Yes, unbelievable. However, what I have come to find is that it is not the meeting part that is hard. It is the building relationships with the people that is hard. Case and point: You meet someone. You have a great conversation and you start to feel like you are really getting to know him or her and he or she is a person with who you would like to develop a friendship with or maybe something more. However, following this great encounter, the weeks may go by and you mayor may not see that person again for several weeks. And by the time you do see them,you have probably forgotten their name or that you already met them. Thus the problem. Getting lost in the masses. But it is not without a solution. It just takes special skills and effort. Effort to remember peoples’ names. Effort to build relationships. Effort to get pass the initial chit chat. And like my stake president said, “Brethren, if you interested, man up and get her number the first time you meet.” So this is my life now. And I am alright with it. If you are going to be there, it is a good place to be.
