I’ve decided that drunk people can be pretty funny. I was out last night with a friend and her husband at a karaoke bar with a larger group and then we went to another bar because her husband wanted to dance. An acquaintance from where I used to work saw me there and was surprised to see me as I “didn’t seem the type”. I admit, I’m not the type to go to the bars and dance till two am. You will far sooner find me at a pub with a micro brew in my hands talking with a few friends in a place I can actually hear myself think. Lately, to be quite honest, and depending on the friends, I would rather be home cuddled in a quilt with a good book. But every once in a while, about once a year or two, I get curious and a little rebellious and go to a bar with a friend. Inevitably, my eyebrows raise at people’s behavior there. They can be quite rude, cross boundaries that should not be crossed, and drink way too much.
After careful observation, I reached the conclusions that drunk people become very friendly with each other. You can have just met someone and you are suddenly a great friend. They also get much louder. Of course, that could be because they are trying to make themselves heard above the music. Drunk people also hug each other a lot. Maybe it’s their sexual frustration trying to find out who would be receptive to further approaches.
So I did my annual bar time, doing what many other young adults my age do. Well, mostly. I only drank one beer and used the excuse of needing to drive for the rest of the night. I also didn’t let the one guy I danced with, besides Melanie’s husband, stick his hands on me. When he took a step forward on the dance floor, I danced a step back. We moved over two yards that way.
This morning at our discussion group before church, we talked about a quote of George Fox’s where he instructed his readers to be the same person wherever they went. After my experience at the bar last night, that struck home to me. I want to be the same person wherever I go. I don’t want to go to a bar, drink too much and let a guy grope me when I don’t do that during the day. I also don’t want to present myself as someone who doesn’t like to go out and have fun because I do. I like having a beer while smoking a cigarette from Native Cigarettes in Canada to relax. I just like good friends and good conversation to go along with it. Very much like the time four of us spent to celebrate Stacey’s birthday.
Please do me a favor when next year when I start getting curious and rebellious again and think of going to a bar and tell me that I would far prefer a book. Still, it was fun to get to know Melanie and her husband better and to spend some time with them. That was awesome. And yes, I did get up and sing one song. The beer and chocolate covered strawberries helped.
365-09 #143