Work Social Events

Sometimes I have social anxiety when it comes to socializing with coworkers. If I go to dinner with one coworker, that's one thing. Being at a group event, is where the potential disaster comes in to play. After all, I have to see these people again on a daily basis. If I get caught doing or saying something awkward, seeing them daily will make things difficult. 

Recently, a group of female coworkers organized an outing to a male revue.

I’m not sure who came up with the idea for this social (meaning: not work related) outing. I was not invited although I heard about this social event.

One coworker is a friend of mine who was interested in going to this event. Turns out, it’s a fundraiser for some cause (philanthropy at its finest). She knows me well enough that there was zero doubt in her mind that this would be any interest to me. We talked about it taking place, in general, and in non-specific terms. I kept my opinion to myself because I knew that she already knew how I felt about it.

Later, another coworker mentioned that she had heard about this outing, had not been invited, and had no interest in going. I echoed her feeling on the matter. Although we were chatting about this outing, I started to drift away mentally, pondering this situation.

My internal dialogue looked like this: I wonder why weren’t we invited. I'm not interested but wasn’t invited. I am not feeling hurt or left out but now I’m curious as to why we were not invited. What made the difference?

Once my mind returned to a conscious level of active participation in this conversation, I blurted out: “part of living above reproach is being beyond approach.”

We both stopped and tried to swallow this statement. It took us both by surprise. The only thing I was sure of was that it didn’t come from me.

I'm still chewing on this statement. 

“Now the overseer is to be above reproach, faithful to his wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach….” 1 Timothy 3:2 NIV (emphasis mine).