We went to a friend’s place recently for a party and they had a bouncy house set up for the kids.
When first approaching the empty attraction my son was quick to climb up and then a bit hesitant as he adjusted to the springy floor. Soon he was going all out jumping around joyfully. His sister soon appeared with a couple other good friends. He continued smiling and bouncing around.
Then the new kids showed up. The strangers.
He slowed down and moved to the side, observing how the new participants were going to interact, judging their impact on the expanding collection of people bouncing around. There were more accidental collisions and a few intentional ones. But all in good fun. With the coast clear, he slowly moved back into the mix and resumed his bouncing.
I realized then how closely his personality is beginning to match my own. I tend to avoid conflict and take a lot of time to get comfortable with new people. We have a protective shell.
At the time, I was telling him that he should just have a good time. But really I need to give myself my own advice. When situations make me feel like moving to the side to observe, that means it’s time to just jump in and have fun. Who cares if it gets a little bumpy?