Let it be said upfront, I'm not the most hip and "with it" chick. I thought "dabbing" had something to do with drugs for months (it's a dance move) and my use of slang comes from things I hear people use and think "sick, I'm gonna say that." This caused me to completely misunderstand what it means to "Netflix and chill."

When I first heard people using the term, I thought that "Netflix and Chill" meant "watching Netflix" and "chilling out," the image in my head being of a bunch of friends curling with up with blankets and bowls of ice cream to watch a show or a movie. I thought this was the coolest thing ever, because not only was it was it a new twist on the movie night (and let it be said that I am a really big fan of movie nights) but it seemed like a solution to the isolating nature of Netflix. Not that there's anything wrong with putting shows before bros and flicks before chicks, but when Netflix-ing alone reinforces that technology is taking us away from the real world. But if you're "Netflix and chilling" (at least by the definition that I assumed), it becomes more than that. It's connection and spending time with people in a relaxed setting, a balance between this need to go out and actually socialize and the desire not to put on pants.

Then I found out what Netflix and chill really meant. I was very disappointed, though I did understand finally why I got weird looks when I responded to "let's hang out sometime" with "Yes, we should totally Netflix and chill!" (If you don't know this other definition, Charlie Puth's Marvin Gaye should explain it if you replace all "let's Marvin Gaye" lyrics with "let's watch Netflix.")

But just because I misunderstood what it meant, doesn't mean my definition isn't a good idea. People can do whatever they want with Netflix as white noise in the background, but why shouldn't "whatever" be eating ice cream and laughing with friends? I suggest that we misunderstand Netflix and chill more. That we choose to Netflix and connect. Life's too short to live it alone because pizza and no pants were more enticing than the outside world. If you don't want to go out, invite people in; scoop some ice cream and settle in for some Netflix. Connect.