single adult conference

Last night I hooked up with two girl friends in my ward to attend a Single Adult Conference at This is the Place Heritage Park. The conference was exceptionally painful. Sometimes I can go to those things and feel free and confident and just enjoy myself, but last night I kept feeling trapped. One guy I'm friends with found us during dinner and wouldn’t leave my side. Then some new guy in our ward who is deaf joined us and wouldn’t leave us. At one point during the evening in an attempt to escape, I went into a little pioneer home to learn about weaving, and some stranger, who must have been at least 50, cornered me to tell me he thinks I’d be great for his brother. He proceeded to ask questions and volunteer information on behalf of his brother. Finally my girl friends rescued me from that extremely awkward conversation. During a singing/comedy show I escaped again because I got a phone call from a friend who wanted me to go with him to visit a crazy friend of his - hoping I'd be useful as an excuse to escape quickly. He was a bit nervous to go alone. We commiserated and wished each other luck. Finally, after trying to dance to two songs (during the dancing portion of the evening) my girlfriends and I quit the place all together. These conferences sound like good ideas, but there is no age limit, so the crowds are massive and attract all kinds of people that you can’t even imagine. Being on the lower age range is awkward, as I’m sure being on the upper age range is too. It really is one of the most depressing things I’ve ever done as a single person. It is events like this that make me think singles conferences/dances/activities vs. singles wards are a bad idea. Singles wards at least have people in a common age range and we get to know each other in a natural, normal setting. Anyway, after escaping, we went to Hire’s for root beer floats. That may have been the best part of the night