u/Gr8WB

A few months ago, I (34M) found out my liver enzymes were high and I cut back on drinking. I wouldn’t even consider myself much of a drinker to begin with. I’m a weed guy, but I’ll drink maybe once a month, or have a glass or 2 of wine if I’m out. Anyway, I opted for non-alcoholic drinks when I would go out and found a few I really liked. Recently I found they sell this one brand I like at Costco so I bought a pack.

My cousins & I play video games every night, so one night in particular I started my usual routine (smoked a joint) and grabbed one of the “beers” from the fridge. Idk what it was, but something about the experience felt super fun to me. Being high and drunk are obviously two different feelings, but it brought me back to that feeling of being in college drinking with my buddies and gaming. I really only have one or two, but it’s become a fun little ritual.

The good news is my liver enzymes are back to normal and while I know I can probably enjoy a drink or two, I like this little ritual I have. I noticed half the time I’m out & drank wasn’t even because I wanted to get drunk, but rather something was in my hand and tasted good. I like that I can do this and scratch that same itch. I know this isn’t the most interesting or scandalous post, but I thought it was probably something fun to mention

Recently my aunt passed away and I (33M) had to travel out of state for the funeral. While it was a sad and emotional trip, there were also moments of happiness and good times had with family I haven’t seen in years. One instance in particular had me reconsidering so many things about myself I thought I was sure of.

After the funeral, my uncle had family & friends over and the turnout for that was huge. At one point I’m walking to his backyard, and my cousin calls me over to introduce me to her in-laws and their family. One of the women there was incredibly beautiful. I introduce myself and they seem like a cool group of people. Her husband is a solid dude so it didn’t surprise me his family would be as well.

Right after, some cousins start playing cornhole and I joined. A kid I never met before starts trash talking one of my other cousins and she’s actually pretty funny. She hung out with the older cousins and I guess she was a family friend because most of them knew her. She has a very extroverted personality and loves sports. Whenever I’d talk to one cousin about it, she’d join in and knew her stuff. She hung around by us the whole night with her younger brother.

Later on that night I started drinking more with my cousin’s inlaw’s and we watched the NBA finals together. They genuinely are great people and we had so much fun and I got to know the beautiful daughter some more too. Turns out: those kids are hers. At the end of the night they invite me to the beach the next day and it felt like too good of a chance to pass up.

My cousin and her husband have been together for so long, his family is basically extended family out here. The beach was a great time and this time around, the younger brother of the girl from the day before overhears me talking about video games & he goes in depth talking to me about it. He really knows his stuff and turns out he’s into a lot of the same niche nerdy things I am (action figures, movies certain video games etc). Before I knew it I’m chatting it up with a 10 year old and in any other context I’d feel uncomfortable, but we were all together as a group and I’d involve my cousins into the convo as well. I did not want to come off as some weird guy who came to the beach to talk to some kids lmao.

Anyway, I saw an opportunity to talk to his mom and I took it. I find out we’re the same age, she has a similar sense of humor as I do, she’s single and she has a solid career. I share a little about myself and we played in the sand a bit and I even raced her up a hill. All of this felt so natural which is when that perspective shift hit me:

I have been very vocal in my life about never wanting kids. Not my own or anybody else’s. It’s not that I don’t like them, I just never saw that as something I wanted for myself. I always strive to be the cool uncle & I am completely content with that. I also cannot stand this particular state my family lives in. It’s a notorious red state and I love where I live. Suddenly however, I’m getting along with this woman in such a natural way and her kids have taken a liking to me over the course of this trip. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t consider starting over fresh and pursuing something more serious with her.

I told my cousin and before I knew it, my entire family knew. We all hung out again later that night and all I kept hearing from family was “she’s a good girl and comes from a great family. We love them and they’re close with us all, go for it”. While their blessing means a lot, it also created a weird feeling of pressure or like “all eyes on us” kind of feeling which made me a bit uncomfortable. Unfortunately because of that, I didn’t ask for her number.

This morning even my extended family found out and my grandpa, who is a man of few words, pulled me aside to tell me about how much our family adores her family & her specifically. I’m not sure what I’ll do, I’m already back home, but I can’t believe I went from being so sure of myself snd what I wanted, to now considering this. Life is funny sometimes.

Recently my aunt passed away and I (33M) had to travel out of state for the funeral. While it was a sad and emotional trip, there were also moments of happiness and good times had with family I haven’t seen in years. One instance in particular had me reconsidering so many things about myself I thought I was sure of.

After the funeral, my uncle had family & friends over and the turnout for that was huge. At one point I’m walking to his backyard, and my cousin calls me over to introduce me to her in-laws and their family. One of the women there was incredibly beautiful. I introduce myself and they seem like a cool group of people. Her husband is a solid dude so it didn’t surprise me his family would be as well.

Right after, some cousins start playing cornhole and I joined. A kid I never met before starts trash talking one of my other cousins and she’s actually pretty funny. She hung out with the older cousins and I guess she was a family friend because most of them knew her. She has a very extroverted personality and loves sports. Whenever I’d talk to one cousin about it, she’d join in and knew her stuff. She hung around by us the whole night with her younger brother.

Later on that night I started drinking more with my cousin’s inlaw’s and we watched the NBA finals together. They genuinely are great people and we had so much fun and I got to know the beautiful daughter some more too. Turns out: those kids are hers. At the end of the night they invite me to the beach the next day and it felt like too good of a chance to pass up.

My cousin and her husband have been together for so long, his family is basically extended family out here. The beach was a great time and this time around, the younger brother of the girl from the day before overhears me talking about video games & he goes in depth talking to me about it. He really knows his stuff and turns out he’s into a lot of the same niche nerdy things I am (action figures, movies certain video games etc). Before I knew it I’m chatting it up with a 10 year old and in any other context I’d feel uncomfortable, but we were all together as a group and I’d involve my cousins into the convo as well. I did not want to come off as some weird guy who came to the beach to talk to some kids lmao.

Anyway, I saw an opportunity to talk to his mom and I took it. I find out we’re the same age, she has a similar sense of humor as I do, she’s single and she has a solid career. I share a little about myself and we played in the sand a bit and I even raced her up a hill. All of this felt so natural which is when that perspective shift hit me:

I have been very vocal in my life about never wanting kids. Not my own or anybody else’s. It’s not that I don’t like them, I just never saw that as something I wanted for myself. I always strive to be the cool uncle & I am completely content with that. I also cannot stand this particular state my family lives in. It’s a notorious red state and I love where I live. Suddenly however, I’m getting along with this woman in such a natural way and her kids have taken a liking to me over the course of this trip. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t consider starting over fresh and pursuing something more serious with her.

I told my cousin and before I knew it, my entire family knew. We all hung out again later that night and all I kept hearing from family was “she’s a good girl and comes from a great family. We love them and they’re close with us all, go for it”. While their blessing means a lot, it also created a weird feeling of pressure or like “all eyes on us” kind of feeling which made me a bit uncomfortable. Unfortunately because of that, I didn’t ask for her number.

This morning even my extended family found out and my grandpa, who is a man of few words, pulled me aside to tell me about how much our family adores her family & her specifically. I’m not sure what I’ll do, I’m already back home, but I can’t believe I went from being so sure of myself snd what I wanted, to now considering this. Life is funny sometimes.

I (32M) am moving into my own place next month. I have all the essentials and even some luxuries (tv, couches, bedroom set). I’m wondering what are some not so common things you’d recommend for a single guy living by himself? Maybe some hidden gems or any tips in general? Thanks in advance