Chapter 13
The Real Meetup: Assembling Practical Idealists
Danguole and Laura organize the inaugural meeting of 'The Practical Idealists,' confronting their own anxieties about leading a real-world group. Old acquaintances and new faces gather at a Vilnius café, including Rasa, Ieva, Mr. Kvedaras, DigitalNomad42, and Aldonza (formerly DulcineaSeeker). Through awkward introductions and honest conversation, the group discovers a sense of belonging and shared purpose. Danguole faces her ideals head-on, realizing the beauty in collective imperfection. After the meeting, she reflects on letting go of her Don Quixote persona, finding courage in community. The chapter ends with a message from Aldonza, hinting at deeper connections still to come.
The morning of our first meetup, I awoke before sunrise, my mind churning with a mix of anticipation and doubt. The blue light of my phone was the only illumination in my quiet flat. The world outside was still, the city not yet awake, but the code of my life was already running—lines of logic, subroutines of anxiety, branching into a thousand possible outcomes.
I reviewed the RSVP list for the tenth time before breakfast. Twenty-three names, then a few apologetic emails trickled in overnight. By the time I finished my coffee, the final list had settled at seventeen. Good enough, I told myself, but my inner Don Quixote—never satisfied with "good enough"—nudged me to aim higher, to imagine a grand debut worthy of legend. I tried to hush him.
Laura messaged just after eight.
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