Tags
comedy, don't hold back, fiction, funny, gina yashere, humor, just do it, new friends, no regrets, writing
I planned a Meetup that turned out to be the biggest flop ever! Yet, it ended up being the sweetest way to spend an evening and a reminder to enjoy life with no regrets.
This all started because I love comedy. I had just finished listening to Gina Yashere’s hilarious memoir audiobook, Cack-Handed, and found out she would be performing near me. I’ve never been afraid to go out on my own, but this time I decided to gather together a group and make an evening out of it. Missing my regular girl posse from New York, I attempted to pull some new people from a Meetup near my mum’s place, where I had been staying.
The initial poll confirmed a lot of interest, with messages like, “Hey, I’ll go if you arrange it!” So, I contacted the group leader, set up an event, and eagerly waited for the RSVPs to roll in… and waited… and waited. Exactly zero people signed up. Ugh! Number of attendees: 1. Me. Two days before the event, I considered having the organizer take down the event.
After some self-reflection and a cheap unwillingness to throw away my $42 ticket investment, I jumped in my car on a Friday and drove to the DC Improv. I walked in and boldly declared, “Party of one, please!” I was rather deflated when the host didn’t applaud my audacity, but rather showed me to my seat without batting an eyelash. When I got there, I was the only person at a table for one. I tried to smile at the lady one table over since we were all squished together, but she seemed uninterested in my overtures. The look on her face said, “Look, I HAVE friends on the way. I don’t need your lonesome energy around me.”
In a short time, another single lady was seated across from me, then one next to me, and another diagonal to me. At first, we were all busy with our phones, acting as if we didn’t need friends. Then someone asked for a recommendation from the menu, and we were off to the races. We laughed, compared entrées, talked about how we discovered our headliner for the night, and generally just had an excellent time.
The comedy show was everything I had hoped it would be and more. The openers were hilarious, and Gina brought the house down! Even sweeter was the ability to turn to one of the ladies and share a giggle at something we all found particularly funny.
Strangers became friends, united by a common experience of joy. There’s a saying that a stranger is just a friend you haven’t met yet, and in this case, it was true. I felt especially fortunate that no one at the table turned out to be a crazy weirdo! As the evening drew to a close, we said goodbye, exchanged business cards that we may never use, and wished each other a lovely weekend. Truly, ships passing each other in the night.
What did I learn? Or should I say, what lesson was reinforced? Just do it! Whether or not you have someone to share the journey with, take the plunge. Attend the event. Say hi to the person at the next table. Don’t let the fear of going alone keep you from experiencing the things you long for. Even if I hadn’t connected with a single person that night, I still would have enjoyed seeing a comedian whom I have long admired. No regrets. No excuses. Just do it!









