I love being a girl. And I don’t mean being a woman, and I don’t mean you need to be female to be a girl, but what I do mean, is being a carefree-twirling-giggly-squealing-skirt-fluffing girl. I freaking love it.

There’s something magical about maintaining the youthful curiosity and excitement that we had when we were young and innocent. What’s that all about? A part of me actually feels sorry for men, boys and women who have either never been able to be a girl, or have forgotten what it was like. Because my friends, it is awesome. Why is it awesome you ask? Well, I’ll tell you:

• Nothing feels better than belting out some girlie songs at the top of your lungs. The actual top of your lungs. So loud that your neighbours can here. Sorry neighbours. This can be done either when you’re alone, or even better, with a few good girl friends. Grab yourself a wooden spoon and you have yourself a microphone my friends. A microphone! My university roommates were experts at this.
• Pirouettes. It’s true, when I’m home alone I still spin around the house. If you’ve stopped doing this, I recommend you do this right away.
• Interpretive dancing either alone or with other girls can be some of the best times you’ve ever ever had. My old roommate Kasia, her sister and myself once put on matching green dresses, brought down my boombox (this was 2010 and I still had a boombox), went into the yoga room in our condo and interpretive danced for a very long time. This dancing session lead into leaping as well and some attempts of old figure skating jumps. Here’s a candle dance at a dear friends wedding. Because you need to dance with candles. Obvs.
• Being disgusting as a group.
• Wearing a dress and when someone compliments it, spinning the skirt a bit. And wiggling your shoulders. It feels so freeing.
• Disney. Singing Disney and quoting Disney. Another old roommate Crystal and myself would re-watch Enchanted and sing all the songs as we cleaned. It made the cleaning suck less. And really, it’s always appropriate to breakout into a Little Mermaid song. Always.
• Watching teen movies. Teen movies are the best. Yet another old roommate also named Crystal and I would watch 17 Again again and again and again.
• Laughing so hard you may pee a little. You may already have peed. You don’t know. You have to crawl to the bathroom to make it there just in case. I’m so blessed to have so many friends that this happens with. You know who you are (winkie face).
• Speaking of singing and dancing. It’s always better when you stand on the couch and make it a stage.
• Making bold statements. My good friend Danielle, once came up to me at a wedding while Justin Timblerlake’s Sexy Back was playing and she said and meant ‘I will never get sick of this song ever.’ I bet this was one of the truest thing she’s ever said, because I know I’m not sick of that song.
• Playing dress-up with others to look ugly. There was another time in university where all six of us dressed up in Speedo’s, leggings, capes, gave ourselves uni-brows and got into a car and headed to our guy friends house. Initially they were freaked out. But then they got in on it and had a photo shoot with us. There was also this time:
• Playing dress-up with others to look pretty. Sometimes it’s fun to go through your wardrobe and put on your fanciest dresses and let your friends put on your fanciest dresses and sit around your house and eat cheese and drink wine. It’s awesome actually.
• Playing dress-up with yourself while avoiding cleaning. I’ll find myself with most my jewelery on and a pound of makeup while I’m reorganizing my room. Y’all should try this.
• Saying ‘I know, right?’
• Recording yourself singing Lisa Loeb’s Stay. Because, you say I only hear what I want to.
• Impromptu dance parties. You don’t need to have a wedding or a night out to dance. You just need to feel it.
• Kisses and hugs and snuggle fests.

I think a major problem is that as we grow-up many of us stop playing and become Mr. and Mrs. Serious. I believe that there’s time to be serious, and there’s time to enjoy goof off and remember what it was like to have an imagination. It’s freeing and helps keep you young. I’m so lucky to have a group of girls that I can be the girliest with. What’s also great is when you have a solid group of guy friends that like to participate in your girlie-ness. And they embrace being silly and get in on the fun. Ups the ante.