As the clock struck midnight on 2015 and I danced in the New Year with my cat in one hand and a glass of wine in the other, I realized that I'm not exactly a "party animal." We ballroom danced around the living room in sweatpants (or at least I did, I can't find any sweatpants that accentuate my cat's coloring). We were in bed shortly after the ball dropped. My friends' Snapchat stories told a different story. They danced, drank, and partied the night away. As I watched their revelry and drunken shenanigans unfold on social media, I smiled. I wasn't jealous that they had more exciting plans for New Year's Eve. I wasn't resentful or ashamed of my low-key celebration. I was happy that my friends were happy but knew that, if given the chance, I wouldn't have spent my evening any other way.
I've never been a huge party person. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy going out with friends. I will be seen at the occasional party and/or club. I love to tailgate for football games as well. It just isn't an everyday or even every week occurrence for me. I'd rather go to an early movie or dinner and then be lazy and watch TV for the rest of the night. After a long week of classes and stress, I usually don't have the energy (not to mention money) to go out three or four nights in a row. That also would require putting on real pants and shoes, which I am wholeheartedly against. Maybe that makes me lame or boring by the standards of my fellow twenty-somethings, but I just don't feel the need to go out drinking every night in order to have a good time.
Luckily for me, I'm not the only one who feels this way. Some of the best nights I've had with my friends have been the ones where we just watch YouTube videos or paint our nails and get into our feelings by listening to Drake. One of my boyfriend and I's favorite date ideas is ordering chips and queso to-go from our favorite Mexican restaurant and watching movies. Or, cooking up a big pot of soup or gumbo and watching football all day. You don't necessarily have to go out to have a good time.
Going out and partying in no way makes you a bad person. It's an integral part of your college years that everyone should experience, even if it's just once. For me, I'm just not the type of person who likes to put on my party pants (or any pants with zippers or buttons) every single night. It's not because I think partying is especially evil, it just isn't for me. And that is completely okay. Yes, sometimes I do feel like a 70 year old lady as I lie in bed watching Golden Girls reruns at 10:30, but I've completely embraced it. Nine times out of ten, there is no other place I'd rather be. A good time isn't made by how many drinks you can chug or how late you stay out, it's about the quality of the people you spend it with. I'd rather spend a boring day with a few of my closest friends than a raucous night surrounded by strangers.
Moral of the story: Don't ever do something just because it's what you think the cool kids do. Chances are they aren't that cool anyway. Just do what makes you happy and you'll always have a good time. With the right people, it doesn't matter if you're in the club or on the couch.
