I'll Pass on the Fancy

Fancy places are not for me ... period.

The other night I went to a party at a high-class hotel near Times Square. As soon as I walked in, I felt like I was walking through the hallways of my high school all over again. My high school didn't have fireplaces and fancy couches, but still, the feeling was the same. The girls were dressed in their best (and probably ridiculously expensive) black dresses, while the men, with their long hair, wore tight jeans. Don't get me wrong, I love black dresses and men with long hair, but I felt as if I didn't belong there.

Now, if you know me ... even a little bit, you know that I'm a down-to-earth girl. I went through my phase where I tried to impress the popular girls in school, and at some point, I did. At first I was thrilled. Then I realized that those girls only liked me because I was pretending to be just like them ... and the real me was nothing like them. Once I realized this, I found out who my true friends were and we are still friends to this day.

A decade ago, I would have walked into that hotel and tried to impress everyone. I would have tried to be like everyone else. But, as I said, I did that in high school and I didn't care for it, so I decided to just be me. I didn't have on a fancy dress and I was wearing cowboy boots that I got from Goodwill in Wisconsin, but it was me ... and that's all people are going to get.

As much as I actually did love high school, I wouldn't want to go back. The awkward stares some of the girls gave me last night were the same stares I received in the hallways. It's okay to be fancy and wear expensive clothes and still be nice to people. And, it's okay to not be fancy and not wear expensive clothes and be nice to people. How about we just be nice and smile at each other. How about we like people for who they are and not what they do or who they know. Kids, this isn't high school anymore.

From now on, I think I'll stick to my favorite little hang outs. You know, the places where the girls are cool and the guys play the air drums. Anyways, who needs fancy bathrooms and $11 beers?