It's my party, you can flake if you want to

When was the last time you went to a house party – or threw one? Do you love to be invited to parties, but then, day of, feel like it’s hard to motivate yourself to get out the door?

Whether you’re a party person or not, this episode will give you perspective.

Our storyteller is Jazmin, our own Love Letters podcast producer, who LOVES throwing parties, but has found that others have trouble actually showing up and participating. She spills the details about a particular party this summer that left her in tears.

Who saved the day? The answer is … unexpected – and includes lessons about how, why, and with WHOM we gather.

Remember, Love Letters has a Friends With Benefits Club with a free extra episodes, an ad-free experience, and swag. Sign up at Globe.com/loveletters/friendswithbenefits. We are grateful for support. If you sign up you'll be able to hear the outtakes from this episode where Jazmin and I discuss structured fun, anxiety at parties, and when to trust your own instincts on stranger danger.

Also, we are an advice column! Please send a letter about what’s happening in your relationship life. You can submit anonymous questions to https://www.boston.com/question-for-meredith. When you ask a question, you help others wondering the same thing.

Love Letters is a production of The Boston Globe. This short series about All Kinds of Love is brought to you in partnership with the Greater Good Science Center’s "Spreading Love Through the Media" initiative, funded by the John Templeton Foundation.

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