I used to be similar to you, WJordan. I would sit and worry about what other people would think if I were to partake in a particular event, or try something out of the ordinary. So I would end up doing all the same things that all the other boring sheep would do so as to appear normal, or ordinary. Or I would stay at home or within the confines of the company of close friends.
It didn't happen overnight, but there were things that I wanted to do, and holding myself back was eating away at me. Over a matter of a few years I slowly managed to stop caring about what other people think. Essentially, an attitude of "I'm going to go and do this, if you're interested then come along. If you're not, don't. I'm going regardless".
Life is so much better. The thing you realise is that nothing in your life really changes. You keep the same friends, you do all the same things in addition to the new things, but the stress is lifted. You don't realise how heavy the weight of that stress is until it is gone.
Wjordan, for the sake of your sanity and quality of life, I would highly recommend developing a similar attitude! And knowing that you love your bike, that is the exact place I would start. The next time you see your neighbours out there watering their lawn or something, just jump on the bike, ride out of your place, give them a wave and have some fun!
Sorry about the long rant. I had written a couple more paragraphs but after reading them I realised I had started to go off topic. I'll bring up further points if the need arises. I believe what I have said above is very important to each and every persons quality of life.