About twenty years ago my husband and I had a dinner party that went wrong. I stil don't really know what happened, but we invited a few couples over for what I thought was a delicious and very special dinner. The conversation at the table was awkward, but not conflicting or worrisome, yet when people left, I knew the night didn't go as planned, and I wondered why.
One reason it was difficult for me to figure out why the night didn't go as well as expected is that my husband and I rarely to never attend a function and not enjoy it--we really like going out, meeting people, hearing their stories, and welcoming their kind invitation and hospitality.
Similar to dating when we socialize with others, sometimes it's a win and sometimes it's not--we're not going to hit it off with all people, and sometimes people we may enjoy one-to-one may not be as enjoyable to us as a couple. That happens.
What draws us to some people and draws people to us will vary greatly. I always found this interesting with regard to my children's friends. In the neighborhood, there was a fair number of children, and my boys definitely gravitated to some and not to others--the same was ttrue of the neighborhood children. What draws us to some people and not to others--what creates the kind of synergy we look forward to and want to nurture over time.
Not long ago, I went for a hike with a group of women I've known for a long time--the synergy was awesome. We shared similar curiosity, life events, sense of humor, and honesty. That was good.
There will be dinner parties and other social events that don't go as planned, and then there will be get togethers that are ideal. We can't always know why that happens, but if we don't pur ourselves out there and try out new relationships, we'll never be open to the good times possible. Onward.