It ain't easy being anti-social.

You'd think it'd be easy to ignore people and avoid all social situations. And it can be. At first. (Just stop answering the phone, right?)

Until you eventually have to face those same people you've been avoiding. And then things start to get worse. Because now they have guilt at their disposal and, boy, are people good at using guilt.

So, you find yourself now committing to things you have absolutely no desire to do because you failed to follow through on the last event you said you'd "try" to attend. "Well, I'll see what Hubs is doing. It does sound like a lot of fun. I hope we can make it, too..."

But you don't make it and Guilt makes his nasty appearance and you, again, commit to doing something you know you won't do. Because, let's face it, Hubs won't be "feeling well," or he'll be "working late," or you'll get called into "work at the last minute." Or something.

It's a vicious cycle and you begin to wonder if it's actually worth it. Maybe you should just bite the bullet and go! And this is where it gets a bit more complicated.

Because, as happy as you'd be to stay at home, in your own surroundings, doing things that make you happy, you still want to have good friends in your life. And friendships do require maintenance. You have to put your time in. Of course, when you finally do, you usually wonder why you've been putting it off for so long.

Unless it's an event that includes a lot of people you've never met before... Then forget about it.