"Are you going to happy hour?" one of my colleagues asked.
The introvert in me wanted to say no. An evening in sweats, sipping a glass of white wine while seated on my own very comfortable couch and watching a rom-com with my husband seemed much more enticing.
"I don't know," I replied. "Are you?"
He nodded his head. "I haven't been to the last two."
"Yeah, I haven't been in a while either. I'll probably go," I said and headed back to my classroom, hoping he didn't notice how unenthusiastic I sounded.
Just outside my classroom, I ran into another colleague, who had already managed to gather up her belongings and was clearly headed out.
"Are you going to happy hour?" she asked.
I really didn't want everyone to think I'm totally anti-social. I decided if I could convince my friend, who also is having a love affair with her couch, to go, then I would be willing to make the effort.
To make a long story short, we went.
It probably helped that we had spent the day in staff development, which ordinarily isn't a great way to spend a day, but at least we weren't totally exhausted from working with kids all day. The day had provided a welcome relief from dealing with hostile students and had actually provided some great ideas I was excited to try out in the classroom. I still questioned my decision to go, however, as I drove to the bar where everyone was gathering for our once-a-month get-together. The yawning had already started and I wasn't looking forward to trying to make conversation in a noisy bar. But having wrangled my friend into going, there was no backing out now.
And I'm glad I didn't. A couple of hours of talking and laughing with the people I work with was just what I needed. They say that misery loves company, but I'd have to say that, while we shared some of our horror stories, the sharing of them lessened the misery. What weighs heavy when carried in solitude becomes lighter and even sometimes laughable when shared with others who are experiencing their own challenges.
The day before I had been counting sick days and calculating how many I'd need to use to cover the remainder of the year because going back day after day seemed impossible. As I drove away from the bar last night, I knew I was going to live to fight another day.
Ohhh- it sounds like happy hour was a good decision for you for many reasons! The snippets of conversation and how they pushed you to make the decision to go were perfect at moving the slice along!
ReplyDeleteI feel like I could have written this myself! I'm not much of a social person, so I am not comfortable going out. This line stuck with me: "What weighs heavy when carried in solitude becomes lighter and even sometimes laughable when shared with others who are experiencing their own challenges." I am lucky to work with some incedible people, and yes, they do make the load seem lighter!
ReplyDeleteI have a group of teachers (2 are now retired) and we try to gather every Friday for a drink or two before separating for the weekend. The happy hour bridge allows us to leave our frustrations behind, sharing in the small victories that often our non-teaching spouses and partners cannot fully get.
ReplyDeleteIt's hard to make the effort to go out when all you want to do is snuggle up inside. Sounds like it was the right choice since it you felt energized when you departed!
ReplyDeleteSounds like pushing yourself to go was the right thing. It's incredible that you left energized and happy.
ReplyDeleteI don't always make it to happy hour either because I too am having an affair with my couch, but I'm always glad when I do make it. I'm very lucky to have great colleagues who lighten that burden!
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