Some weeks, Friday can't get here fast enough. Then once Friday hits, 5 p.m. can't get here fast enough. Then once the time is right, you just can't get to the bar fast enough. But once you have that much anticipated beverage of choice in front of you, all is magically right with the world again and the party that is the weekend can finally begin.
But it's not like this every week, at least not for me. Sure, there are some weekends where all I look forward to is going out on the town, socializing, and seeing what sorts of adventures the night holds. But other weekends the thought of going out and making that effort to be a social butterfly just seems.....exhausting.
In college it seemed like every weekend was a party. God, doesn't that statement sound like something a much older, mature person would say? But this adult world.....frankly, it's nothing like college, which is sometimes great and sometimes awful. Case in point, in the adult world afternoon naps do not exist, and for some reason are frowned upon at work. In college, the afternoon nap was a staple, a given, and totally acceptable. Has anyone else ever petitioned their workplace for required afternoon naps? Sorry, I realize I'm off on a completely unnecessary tangent.
But really, college weekends were phenomenal. And like a lot of other people I spent mine making the rounds from house parties, to college bars, to late night restaurants, and eventually back to my apartment so I could rest up and do it all over again the next night. These days? Closing down the bar is a rare occurrence and I consider myself a rock star if I manage to stay out until midnight. Bam, suckers.
I've reached a stage where, for the most part, I'm satisfied with an evening of going out to dinner, having a few drinks, and heading home at a respectable weekend hour to veg out on the couch until I can no longer keep my eyelids open. And honestly, around here that's about the only "going out" option there is on a regular given weekend. It's funny, though, because even when I don't feel like going out on the weekend part of me feels like I should be going out. Or should at least want to go out. Yes, I battle with that word, that feeling, of shouldness (which in fact isn't a word but still an accurate representation of my feelings).
I'm sure a little bit of this frustration has something to do with where I live. Small town, not a lot of outside entertainment. And while going out to the bar is usually a great time it also becomes expensive after awhile.....and why should I pay for drinks every weekend when I have my own stash at home? But going out isn't always about practicality. Sometimes we just want the thrill of being around other people, of being a part of the noise and excitement.
But other times, we crave the notion of just being home. I've been something of a homebody lately which I think has kind of gotten on my husband's nerves, but for the past couple weekends the whole "going out" thing just hasn't appealed to me. And I think this is natural for everyone. But because it's the weekend I feel like there's this pressure to be wild and crazy even if that isn't exactly what one feels like doing.
It's times like these when I wonder how my social life would differ if I lived in a larger city. Would I feel like going out more often since there would naturally be more activities to choose from? Or would I become forced to stay in because I spent too much money on weekend outings? Since I like to think I am somewhat responsible when it comes to managing funds, I think it would likely be a little of both.
Does anyone else go through this internal debate about going out? Is my recent bout of homeward boundedness a natural thing or have I, sadly, gotten old before my time? Please, be kind in your judgements.
In college it seemed like every weekend was a party. God, doesn't that statement sound like something a much older, mature person would say? But this adult world.....frankly, it's nothing like college, which is sometimes great and sometimes awful. Case in point, in the adult world afternoon naps do not exist, and for some reason are frowned upon at work. In college, the afternoon nap was a staple, a given, and totally acceptable. Has anyone else ever petitioned their workplace for required afternoon naps? Sorry, I realize I'm off on a completely unnecessary tangent.
But really, college weekends were phenomenal. And like a lot of other people I spent mine making the rounds from house parties, to college bars, to late night restaurants, and eventually back to my apartment so I could rest up and do it all over again the next night. These days? Closing down the bar is a rare occurrence and I consider myself a rock star if I manage to stay out until midnight. Bam, suckers.
I've reached a stage where, for the most part, I'm satisfied with an evening of going out to dinner, having a few drinks, and heading home at a respectable weekend hour to veg out on the couch until I can no longer keep my eyelids open. And honestly, around here that's about the only "going out" option there is on a regular given weekend. It's funny, though, because even when I don't feel like going out on the weekend part of me feels like I should be going out. Or should at least want to go out. Yes, I battle with that word, that feeling, of shouldness (which in fact isn't a word but still an accurate representation of my feelings).
I'm sure a little bit of this frustration has something to do with where I live. Small town, not a lot of outside entertainment. And while going out to the bar is usually a great time it also becomes expensive after awhile.....and why should I pay for drinks every weekend when I have my own stash at home? But going out isn't always about practicality. Sometimes we just want the thrill of being around other people, of being a part of the noise and excitement.
But other times, we crave the notion of just being home. I've been something of a homebody lately which I think has kind of gotten on my husband's nerves, but for the past couple weekends the whole "going out" thing just hasn't appealed to me. And I think this is natural for everyone. But because it's the weekend I feel like there's this pressure to be wild and crazy even if that isn't exactly what one feels like doing.
It's times like these when I wonder how my social life would differ if I lived in a larger city. Would I feel like going out more often since there would naturally be more activities to choose from? Or would I become forced to stay in because I spent too much money on weekend outings? Since I like to think I am somewhat responsible when it comes to managing funds, I think it would likely be a little of both.
Does anyone else go through this internal debate about going out? Is my recent bout of homeward boundedness a natural thing or have I, sadly, gotten old before my time? Please, be kind in your judgements.
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