I'm in a B-tier central valley city and even here we have a monthly multi-location art event, and coffee walk and talks. I can get brunch with the atheists or c

I'm in a B-tier central valley city and even here we have a monthly multi-location art event, and coffee walk and talks. I can get brunch with the atheists or chat up other small dog owners during doggie socials. The biggest impediment to my social life is the anxiety of awkwardness when meeting new people, not the lack of opportunities. I'm well equipped to understand the vulnerability disclosure spectrum and when and how to reveal personal information so that my relationships don't stagnate nor am I dumping on people I've just met. I can navigate conservations adeptly to find topics of common interests and genuinely connect. I've purposely enriched myself with topics tech folks tend to dismiss like psychology, sociology, and mysticism which have fruited deep personal connections with others in ways I've never dreamed of. The effort-reward structure is much more gentle than I would have thought even 10 years ago.