My PERFECT version of a great night is enjoying dinner and a drink on the town and perhaps a play of sorts and then head home by 11pm to re-watch Grey’s Anatomy for the 100th+ time. On the contrary, I’m at the age where a LOT of my peers love and embrace the night life scene. When saying that I’m simply not interested in night life is not something that I am upset to say, but rather proud to say.
Before I get into the meat of this blog post, I want to preface by saying that I don’t think that night life is a bad thing at all. I believe that if people find joy in enjoying night life, then that is a great thing. I have gone out on the town a few times and have realized that it’s not for me. It can be fun every so often and in moderation (as so I see it!), yet it’s just not my own preferences in terms of how I want to spend my time. Yet, if someone else does, then that is OKAY and perfectly fine for them.
While I won’t get into too many details, I do have some health-related things that make it more challenging for me to drink too much. However, one of my preferences is that I’m a BIG wine lover, and, hence, my big big big love of vineyards having become a Virginia Wine Pass and Reserve Pass holder! I have been to multiple Virginia vineyards with The Winery at Bull Run located in Centreville, Virginia being my favorite. Vineyards have become a GREAT daytime activity that I’ve loved to enjoy with my family and friends, too. I am very grateful for my vineyard experiences with others. On the same token, I also have many family members who have just never even gotten into alcohol (including wine) and/or night life. Needless to say, it’s nice to be around others who share the same and/or similar preferences as me.
In college, I went to an all-women’s college where I was surrounded by A LOT of incredible, strong women that were on the same wavelength as me. Many of us weren’t into night life except for maybe a night out on the town every so often. We were much more focused on our studies, work, family, and extracurricular activities than anything else. BUT, when I moved to the Washington, DC area, I quickly noticed that A LOT of my peers were into the night life scene locally. Washington, DC is a party city, for sure! It was a tough transition and made me really rethink whether or not I was considered “cool” or “hip” in my own new town. And, I started to get really harsh on myself within my social life. Others that I’m surrounded by are SUPER into the night life scene compared to myself. I have spent A LOT of my time talking with my therapist (I am a BIG FAN of therapy!!!!) about this and it just comes down to ONE thing – preferences. And, well, preferences don’t make any of us less than someone else. It is all simply a matter of preferences and what one person prefers over the next.
I had trouble, initially, being OKAY with not being interested in night life. I strived to prove to myself over and over and over again that I could be. Maybe, I could make myself seem “cooler” or “hip”. Needless to say, I went into a very self-loathing stage in my life. BUT, that is very much not the case for anyone. Being okay with who YOU are and what you prefer is SOOO important to feeling love within ourselves and loving others around us. At the end of the day though, we must be able to feel comfortable with who we truly are and what we prefer to do with our time. We ONLY have 24 hours in a day – make them noteworthy and leave your mark on EVERY DAY.
Since my preferences lean towards no night life, it can be tough to meet people who share my same preferences. I’m VERY grateful that a lot of my friends from college and in my network here in the Washington, DC area share very similar preferences to me. YET, it is complicated to meet people outside of my own network who share those preferences as well. A lot of the Washington, DC area is into the night life scene, whether it be people who I see on a weekly basis at work or somewhere else. Nights can feel lonely at home (fellow Night Owl over here!) at times. BUT, at the same time, I know there are many more folks my age who are feeling the EXACT same way, whether or not I know them.
Through it all, none of us are alone. Having the preference to not want to go out into the night life scene is NOT a bad thing, just like going out into the night life scene. At the end of the day, it is important to be able to stick to your own ground and two feet. Be you and always stay true to YOU!
XOXO – Katie <3