This is no time to be sleeping.
REMEMBER when you were twenty-one and staying in on a Saturday night was sacrilege? Or when staying in on a weeknight because you had work the next morning was lame? Life seemed to revolve around where you were and the activities that transpired between 10pm and 2am. These days, the only thing to report of note during those hours is sleep.
It’s so easy to find ourselves set in the adult routines we’ve constructed and staying in more often than we go out. If we’re honest, when we really want to find an excuse not to do something, there will always be one that’s available and fairly valid.
Observe:
“I have a presentation with my boss this week. I need my rest.”
“I don’t want to be tired or hungover in the morning.”
“I have a spin class at 6:30am I don’t want to miss.”
“I’m like really tired. Like more tired than I’ve ever been.”
These are all believable and completely acceptable excuses. And yes, as adults we should be making responsible decisions, such as putting important responsibilities like our work before letting loose. By this point, we’ve all probably come to the conclusion that, no matter how fun or amazing or once-in-a-lifetime-great going to club will be, we shouldn’t let the lure of partying dictate the course of our lives or feel peer pressure to go out on a school/work/life night. Responsibility might sound like a drag, but hey, no one said being an adult was going to be fun all the time. Plus it’s really nice to have money.
The problem becomes when the amount of times we use these (and other) excuses exceeds the amount of times that we say “what the heck, let’s do it,” throwing off the ratio of responsibility and leisurely enjoyment in our lives. Maturity is a great quality to have but it can’t prevent you from living your life. As cozy as your couch looks and feels, you’re not going to make any memories watching reruns of a show you’ve already seen.
I’m not only talking to you single ladies out there who might be looking for love – although, it should be said that you won’t find Prince Charming by sitting on your couch (unless he’s the ruler of a kingdom called OKCupid). This isn’t all about men. It’s about you. It’s about taking chances and having experiences. Sure, there are many a time that you bite the bullet, doll yourself up and hit the town… only for it to turn out to be a bust, making you wish that you’d stayed in like you had planned instead. But, like all things in life, going out is a numbers game and it’s worth having those not-so-Instagram-able nights for the ones that you will be reminiscing about in your eighties.
I wish I could take credit for the great Friday Night Lights quote that sums up my sentiments about this exactly: “Never turn down a memory.” I mean, I’m sure I could have come up with myself, but I was probably too busy hanging out on my couch. You know, turning down memories.
One of the most important things we can do in life, what we oftentimes have to remind ourselves us to do, is to get out of our comfort zones. No one wants to feel as if life is passing him or her by, or like they’re stuck in a place of stagnancy. You have to take the risk that you might be uncomfortable for a little bit to reach a new, better place of comfort in your life. And by comfort, I don’t mean your couch – although you can rest assured that it will always be there, waiting for you.
