An Eternal Pessimist

That title is misleading, and deliberately so; I realised that the topics of insomnia and quiting wrestling were sort of downers; they weren't intended to be, but they're personal, and self-reflection can easily read as negative. So, in this post, I'm endeavouring to write about something positive. Or, at least, something that doesn't sound like it was penned by Eeyore.

Think positive, hmmm.

I'm positive I've made some friends in wrestling. I mean actual arrange-to-meet-outside-of-a-wrestling-environment-and-not-just-have-to-talk-about-wrestling-whilst-we're-there-friends. Sometimes it can be hard to find friends like this, because the easy topic of discussion is wrestling - it's a known, shared interest, so why not, right? Because we all do other things in life! Yes, even me.

Wrestling has been a valuable social experience for me, though. I started training when I was 15; being in high school, you're probably at your most neurotic and uncomfortable stage of development, you're surrounded by hundreds of people who're going through the same thing, and you're all imprisioned. Now imagine, on top of all that, you're expected to appear semi-naked, in front of strangers, on a regular basis. That helps you overcome alot of the inherent shyness you might possess. And it did, for me anyway. I was a stooge in brightly coloured spandex and vinyl clothing, with long, shaggy hair, and a tan that'd give Casper the friendly ghost a run for his money; it's hard to take life too seriously when a good portion of your formative years are spent as a harlequin. Don't read me wrong, I'm not an icon of self-confidence and zen-like approach, now, but I definitely overcame alot of those stupid things that can hold you back during adolescence, because of the situations I was finding myself in.

I'm not a club and pub person - I've tried my best, but it's not for me. Some people are, and those social situations probably contributed to their maturation (or, in some cases, the lack thereof). Wrestling was my equivalent. And when I say wrestling, I mean everything that contributes to, and includes, what happens in the ring. In the middle of matches I've cried, swore (too much), laughed, and even had full conversations. Outside the ring, I've made friends, enemies (too many), acquaintances, and even girlfriends.

And you're not limited to the wrestlers you meet through the years; you'll most likely meet their friends and their family, too. You'll meet people who have no interest in wrestling whatsoever, and you'll only have met them through the fact you are a wrestler. A friend of mine, probably through a fear of social stigma, makes sure none of his "real life friends" know he has an interest in wrestling, and when asked, we're to say we met him playing in the local dodgeball league.

Wrestling attracts a whole variety of characters, who'll equip you with stories to tell for the rest of your life. But, really, it's no different - socially - from any other gathering. Some people talk over a game of cards, some get drunk together, some people put on a pair of trunks and boots and bodyslam one another. It's all gay, and I mean that in a totally archaic way.