To the girl giving me looks at the party,

Congratulations! You are one of the many people who have noticed that I am about as graceful as an elephant and cannot dance at all. I am so glad you are taking the time out of your evening to give me looks from the corner of the party as if I am embarrassing myself by my crazy dancing skills. First you should know that no, I am not embarrassing myself. I'm just having fun. I am probably the worst dancer anyone has ever seen but that will never stop me from grabbing my best friends, elbowing my way on to an elevated surface and not leaving until the music stops. I know that for you, dancing may include casually swaying your hips or moving your arms side to side but for me, that's just a little basic. I enjoy my full array of dance moves including but not limited too : the robot, the sprinkler, the shopping cart, maybe a little whipping in there, definitely a lot of dabbing, maybe a little sub par moonwalking if I'm feeling particularly risky. I dance like a suburban father wearing an apron that says DAD who left his grill station to dance to some outdated song from the 1980s at a block party. And guess what? I am embracing it.

I am so glad you noticed that I cannot dance. Thank you so much for standing in the corner, sipping your boxed wine in a red solo cup, and whispering to your friends about my dance skills. Yes, I am very aware that there are fraternity boys all around and I am busting out my most embarrassing moves right in the middle of the dance floor. The best part about it is? They are dancing with me. They have been dancing with me this whole time. It's fun to be a little silly sometimes. Essentially, while you stand in the corner trying to make sure your hair doesn't get messed up, I am living my dreams out here on the dance floor. So to answer your question, yes. When "All I Want For Christmas is You" by Mariah Carey comes on in the middle of October I WILL hit that high note. Full volume, full belting. And no, I am not going to miss any of those killer riffs at the end. Does it make you more embarrassed for me that I am completely sober right now? I hope it does.

If anyone has anything to say about my killer moves and the fact that I am probably not the type of girl you want as a friend if you care about always looking #popular it doesn't bother me. I don't appreciate the sassy side eye and the "what is that girl doing?" looks from the other side of the room but they don't bother me either. In fact, I feel bad for you and people like you. I am having fun dancing like an idiot. I had a stressful week! A lot of tests, a few essays, a quiz, maybe some friend drama. I deserve to forget all my inhibitions and just have fun dancing with my friends. I have an amazing group of friends here with me who are going to dance and laugh along with me till the night ends. To me, that's what life is all about. I don't feel the need to prove myself to other people, or be someone I am not. I will always be the little 10 year old girl who thought she was an amazing dancer. My crazy, outgoing personality will always be a part of who I am. I don't feel the need to change who I am because I am a part of greek life or because I want to look cool in front of some frat stars I'll never see again. I never want to feel inferior because I'm having fun and someone is judging me for being me. I never want to act like I'm too cool to bust a sick move on the dance floor in front of 60 other people. I'm not too cool to have fun. I'll never be too cool to have fun. It's sad to me that people like you think you are. I live for moments like the ones where I get to forget about everything that's stressing me out and look like a fool dancing with my friends. It's innocent fun and it's who I am.

This one is for you, random girl at the party giving me weird looks for being who I am. Don't waste your time judging me in the future. Trust me, I know I'm not a good dancer, and I know I'm not your average classic girl at a frat party either. I am who I am and nobody can ever take that away from me (even if who I am is a BBQ dad busting a move at a block party).

Sincerely,

Eli (life of the party) Rallo