The clock strikes 9 on a Friday night, and I’m at home. Not at a party, not out with my friends – I’m sitting in my bed, reading a book.

I’m one of those people who doesn’t get invited to parties. I don’t care much for loud noises, or lots of people. I’m not really part of the “in” crowd. I’m just not up for those kinds of things.

There are plenty of people I know who do party, and they have mixed opinions on it. Some of them think they are making bad decisions, but persist with them. Others don’t see anything wrong with their choices.

I’m not here to bash partying. If someone sees something worth celebrating, that’s fine by me. I just want my fellow students who don’t party to know it’s OK. It’s alright to read a book. It’s totally cool to watch some Netflix if that’s what you’re into. You can play video games, or pet your cat, or scour the Internet for funny pictures.

All of these things can be considered partying in some way, shape or form. Maybe my idea of partying is just different from yours. To me, it might be drinking some Fiji water while reading Tolstoy, while someone else might enjoy walking their dog and blasting Biggie Smalls.

The notion that you have to be with others to be partying is interesting to me. I myself am perfectly fine sitting in my room and playing on my phone. I know what makes me happy, and thus don’t do anything to make myself seem cooler than I actually am (spoiler alert: I’m not).

I like having alone time, time to collect my thoughts and wonder. It’s a lot more fun to me than any type of socializing would be.

So don’t worry too much about trying to fit in. Be the weird self that you are, and you’ll find yourself a lot happier. I don’t ever plan to attend a typical high school party, and that will probably end up being one of the best decisions I’ll make.