Last night was so much fun.
I had been debating whether I even wanted to go out. We were celebrating my friend Ashley’s birthday, and her fiancé, Matt, had invited us to see Soul Train and another band play at The Pour House, which is literally right down the street from me.
And thank God I went.
Because the vibes were VIBIN’.
Chrissy and George were there. Melissa and Glenn were there. Ashley and Matt were there. Some of Matt’s friends joined us. The deck was packed with good energy, and the music was all the good stuff—the kind of ’80s and ’90s music where suddenly everybody knows every word.
People were singing. People were dancing. Everybody was laughing.
It was just fun.
I go to The Pour House all the time for the Sunday farmers market, but I don’t usually go there at night for shows. Last night reminded me what a great little world exists basically in my backyard.
Eventually, while everyone else was still hanging at the show, I walked next door to the Hemp Collective to get a wind-down drink and hang out with Carly and her husband.
These two are seriously the coolest cannabis couple I know.
Earlier in the week, I had stopped in because I had this absolutely brutal crick in my neck. Carly introduced me to this all-natural cannabis roll-on that’s kind of like an Icy Hot situation, and OH. MY. GOD.
This stuff worked.
Like, worked worked.
I tried it right there in the store, felt the difference almost immediately, bought it, and have been using it ever since. My neck has finally started getting better, but that little roll-on made the painful part so much more bearable.
Anyway, while I was there earlier in the week, Carly had also given me a card for Ashley to get a free birthday drink. So last night, after I got my delicious wind-down drink, I called Ashley and said, essentially:
Y’all need to come over here when you’re done.
And eventually they did.
Suddenly, it was me, Chrissy, George, Matt, and Ashley sitting around the Hemp Collective with Carly, her husband, and another gentleman, talking, laughing, and drinking these wonderful THC drinks.
And somehow we got into everything.
We talked about NORML. We talked about what’s happening politically and legally around marijuana and hemp. We talked about legalization and regulation and where everything seems to be heading.
And then we just got silly.
The stories started.
The bits started.
The little impromptu skits started.
And the laughing just kept going.
You know those nights when you aren’t necessarily doing anything extraordinary, but somehow the combination of the people, the place, and the energy makes it extraordinary?
That was last night.
We basically shut the Hemp Collective down. I think we finally left around 11, which, for me lately, felt like a full-blown night on the town.
And I loved it.
I haven’t gone out and had a real night out in quite a while. It felt good to remember that I can still get dressed, go hear live music, dance, laugh until my stomach hurts, wander next door, meet people, tell stories, and stay out late.
I can be a grown-up out in the world, partying safely, without alcohol, and still have an absolute blast.
Maybe that’s what I loved most about the whole night.
There was nothing missing.
I wasn’t sitting there thinking about what I wasn’t drinking.
I was too busy laughing.
Too busy talking.
Too busy listening to music.
Too busy enjoying the people around me.
Too busy being there.
Turns out, you don’t need to lose yourself to have a wild night.
Sometimes the best nights are the ones where you get to have all the fun—
and still go home completely yourself.
And yes, Hemp Collective:
I will absolutely be back.
