Dallas: A Quarterly Review
So I've been here for three months this week--officially one quarter of a year. Wow. In some respects, the time is flying by. In others, it seems to crawl agonizingly along the floor.
Whenever I go out and meet new people, they always want to know: "So how do you like Dallas?" And of course, I know the polite answer is, "Oh, I love it, it's such a nice city." But in a not-so-politically correct way, I find myself answering, "I'm not sure yet. It's still growing on me."
And it is.
It wasn't as easy as I thought it would be to plug inn down here and reinvent myself. It was a bit ridiculous, I see in hindsight, to compare this experience to moving to DC at 22. Falling into a group of early 20-somethings, most of whom were also new to the city and eager to create their own network, was a cinch there. You only had to go out to one happy hour and you suddenly had 10 new friends to include on your next eVite.
But coming to a new city mid-career is more of a challenge. Many of the others my age are already settled with spouses and children. Those who aren't have a ready made network of the friends they made at 22. Getting "in" isn't like it used to be.
Tonight, however, I took my first real stab at creating my own network. I had a dinner party. Something I haven't done since I left Washington. With a colleague co-conspirator, we rallied a group of six (counting me) to make Wednesday dinner club night. I made chicken parm, the guests brought wine, apps and desserts. We ate too much, drank too much, and joked about everything from American Idol to Texas tornados to the Dallas crime scene and lack of police support.
It was one of the best evenings I've had since I came here.
It's a small start, but a big step nonetheless. Less hermit, more butterfly. Not fully winged and spectactular just yet, but starting to break through the cocoon to see the light. No matter that the group in the room was completely comprised of schoolmates and co-workers. I was just happy to be surrounded by people and comfortable chatter. The kind you've come to expect when you've found a place to fit.
There may be hope in this town after all.
Whenever I go out and meet new people, they always want to know: "So how do you like Dallas?" And of course, I know the polite answer is, "Oh, I love it, it's such a nice city." But in a not-so-politically correct way, I find myself answering, "I'm not sure yet. It's still growing on me."
And it is.
It wasn't as easy as I thought it would be to plug inn down here and reinvent myself. It was a bit ridiculous, I see in hindsight, to compare this experience to moving to DC at 22. Falling into a group of early 20-somethings, most of whom were also new to the city and eager to create their own network, was a cinch there. You only had to go out to one happy hour and you suddenly had 10 new friends to include on your next eVite.
But coming to a new city mid-career is more of a challenge. Many of the others my age are already settled with spouses and children. Those who aren't have a ready made network of the friends they made at 22. Getting "in" isn't like it used to be.
Tonight, however, I took my first real stab at creating my own network. I had a dinner party. Something I haven't done since I left Washington. With a colleague co-conspirator, we rallied a group of six (counting me) to make Wednesday dinner club night. I made chicken parm, the guests brought wine, apps and desserts. We ate too much, drank too much, and joked about everything from American Idol to Texas tornados to the Dallas crime scene and lack of police support.
It was one of the best evenings I've had since I came here.
It's a small start, but a big step nonetheless. Less hermit, more butterfly. Not fully winged and spectactular just yet, but starting to break through the cocoon to see the light. No matter that the group in the room was completely comprised of schoolmates and co-workers. I was just happy to be surrounded by people and comfortable chatter. The kind you've come to expect when you've found a place to fit.
There may be hope in this town after all.
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