Not shy (unless talking to a supermodel I am sweating), but am an opinionated loner. I’ve considered doing some activism (have in the past for pet rescue), but am fairly sure I won’t fit in. I tend to get bullied by the fat older woman with the short hair and aggressive demeanor - doesn’t matter what type of group/gathering. So, from now on, I smile at her when she walks up and find an excuse to runnnnnnnn… I have no time for drama. Found a group I may fit into, but it is in tiny cells in a few cities. Just my luck. At one party, though, i was fortunate enough to be designated, by my good friend/coworker Nivia, as the hostess for her birthday party. A hostess is something between a leader and a servant. My job was to memorize all names, hobbies, where people where from, and what they did - and take their coats, show or tell them where the food, drink, and bathroom were and offer trays of food and drink. I also had to introduce people to each other (I knew Nivia and her brother - not the other 40 people!). I was so busy worrying that I would forget something or not notice something important that I forgot about myself and had no time to talk about myself. It is not easy remembering that much stuff about that many people in such a short period while trying hard not to spill something on your pretty pink dress. To be fair, though, Nivia and I were hostesses at the same place, so I had experience to some extent. Lesson: pretend you are *one *of the designated hosts, making sure you become Helper of the Year. You’ll be so busy trying to figure out what needs to be done, who feels left out, and who needs to be introduced to whom that you’ll forget to be shy! Try not to spend more than 5 minutes alone at a time with any one person for the first 2 hours. That’s not enough time for them to ask you hard questions that may make your nervous. At least, its worth a try. Picturing them naked also works sometimes. Most people look fairly bad naked - even ridiculous sometimes. Trust me on this.