parties

around the time people my age went to parties and got drunk with their friends, i was at home playing with my cats and waiting for new episodes of steven universe. lol.

i had only one friend at the time. she was an online friend (we did hang out a couple times tho!), and didn’t live very close to me, so we weren’t able to "party" much together. and even though she was the only friend to me, i wasn’t the only friend to her. so while she partied with her friends, i sat at home, waiting her to respond to the message i sent her hours prior.

whenever there was any party or celebration (eg. at school), i didn’t go. i didn’t even attend our prom because i didn’t exactly have the best relationships with my classmates, and i did not want to spend any additional time with them. the time i spent sitting in a classroom with them was more than enough to me.

when i was 19, i finished school, and found my first (and current) job in a hotel.

every january, there’s a "staff party" for the entire hotel. before the first time i was able to attend it, my coworkers asked me if i’ll come, and i, with my previous experiences from my teen years, said:

"sure, but i’ll just stay for a while."

that while became a couple hours, because i actually enjoyed the company of people who treated me nicely. i barely had that in school, and now, that i was actually spending time with adults who treated me like a human, it was completely different.

i realized that i do, in fact, enjoy parties, i just have to attend them with the right people.

ps: by parties, i don’t mean buying alcohol in a grocery store, getting blackout drunk outside and falling asleep on a bench. i mean fun celebrations where you have a drink or two and hang out with your friends, coworkers, family...

does anyone have the same experience? i’m pretty sure i’m not the only one... x)