I’m a teetotaler. I hate the taste of alcohol. Oh, yes, it’s an acquired taste, or so I hear. That just tells me it wasn’t good to begin with. Plus you can act stupid (which I can do very well on my own, thank you) and you’ll have regrets the next morning.
I never really went to any parties, either. Not any “real” parties. I got invited to one that Tina Graham was throwing. She just knew I wouldn’t be there. I showed up to prove her wrong (I’m ornery like that), but when I got there, she was already passed out. Talked to Nikki some. It became evident quite quickly that this just wasn’t my type of environment. I left shortly thereafter, especially since the police were right across the street.
I say all of this not to demonstrate what sort of “prude” I am, but rather to say that we don’t all beat to the same drum. I’m different. I’ve always been different. I like to have fun, sure, but I think what I define as fun and what other people define as fun are two different things.
Sometimes I regret that I never fit in better. But then I start to think about it, and I realize that this wasn’t such a bad thing after all. I think it made me stronger. I have the strength to say no, to walk my own path, and to realize that it’s okay to do so.
I also believe that my path has earned me a certain amount of respect. No, maybe I won’t get invited to parties. But that’s okay. I’ve had some amazing adventures of my own, some that transcend parties and booze. I have hobnobbed with authors, been published, traveled to Yellowstone, and journeyed upon fantastic worlds of the imagination. I will take that any day of the week.