Alright, so I wanted to share something I tried doing this year, back around the start of 2024. I kept looking around, and it felt like men, you know, guys my age and younger, seemed kinda adrift. Lots of time online, sure, but less face-to-face stuff, less just hanging out and doing things together. Maybe it was just what I was seeing, but it got me thinking.
Trying to Get it Going
So, I figured, why not try starting a small local group? Nothing intense. Just a regular meetup for guys. Maybe fix some stuff, work on little projects, grab a coffee, whatever. Just a space to connect without any big agenda. Seemed straightforward, right?
Here’s what I actually did:
- Put up some flyers: Went old school. Made some simple flyers, stuck ’em up at the community center, the hardware store, the local library. Just said something like “Men’s Meetup – Casual Hangout”.
- Posted online: Threw up a post on a couple of local community forums. Thought that would catch some eyes.
- Set a date: Picked a Saturday morning, booked the little pavilion down at the park. Even brought a big thermos of coffee and a box of donuts. Felt pretty hopeful, honestly.
What Actually Happened
Man, it was way harder than I expected. The first meeting? Two guys showed up. One was my neighbor, who I basically guilted into coming. The other guy seemed interested but vanished after that first time. Never heard from him again.
I didn’t give up right away. Tried again a few weeks later. Changed the time, thought maybe Saturday morning was bad. Got one different guy, but still, just a couple of us. It wasn’t getting any traction.
Online, I got a few comments. Some people seemed suspicious, like “What’s this really about?”. Others just ignored it. A couple of guys I know personally said it sounded like a good idea, but they were just too busy. Work, kids, house stuff – the usual drill. Everyone’s plate seems totally full in 2024. Or maybe, just maybe, guys feel a bit awkward about joining something new like that cold.
So, What Now?
Yeah, the grand plan for a regular men’s group kinda sputtered out. It never really took off. It just wasn’t happening.
But here’s what I figured out from trying:
It’s not that guys don’t want to connect. I think deep down, a lot of them do. But actually getting them to carve out time, show up consistently for something organized by a stranger? That’s the real hurdle these days. Life moves fast, schedules are packed. And maybe there’s just a general weariness or skepticism about organized social things.
In the end, I just started having my neighbor over for a beer in the garage more often. We tinker with stuff, chat about nonsense. It’s small, it’s informal, no pressure. And maybe that’s the key right now. Keeping it simple.
Still chew on it sometimes, though. How guys connect, or don’t, in 2024. It feels different than it used to. Trying to build something communal from scratch, especially for men, feels like swimming upstream right now. Just my experience, anyway.
