Cake, shaving and other tough decisions
The fact that I manage to get dressed every day is no simple feat (and yes, I am counting the days that I take my pajamas off, shower and put a clean pair of pajamas on). It really should be recognized and rewarded (there are lamer awards out there). Why you ask? Because of the magnitude of decisions that have to be made to go from being buck naked to presentable for society. I have been told by a close friend who has seen my “natural” look, that she sees why it takes me so long to get ready in the morning. Believe me…it’s not pretty.
The amount of decisions that go into getting ready in the morning are exhausting. Do I need to shave? Well, what am I going to wear? Can I get away with not shaving? How much of my legs are showing? Can I just shave from the knee down? It’s only been a day. Maybe I can get away with not shaving…. But what if someone touches my leg? How am I going to wear my hair? Should I go for the slick look or voluminous? Well, is it supposed to rain today? Is it going to be windy? What color of eye shadows should I use? Should I stick with neutrals or add a splash of bold color? But what am I wearing? I don’t want my eyes to clash with my outfit. Ugh, I need to get my eyebrows done. What are the chances someone is going to be standing close enough to see how badly I need them waxed? Do I have time to pluck? I still have no idea what I am wearing. I like this bra, but will it show through my shirt? I should probably figure out what shirt I am wearing first. What underwear should I wear? I don’t want any lines to show. When is the last time I wore this shirt? Are these shoes sexy or slutty? What jewelry am I going to wear? Is turquoise in or out right now? How do I only have five minutes left before I need to leave?
Are you exhausted? I’m exhausted.
And that is just the start of the day.
As a society, we love options. Options allow us to express ourselves. They are a way of customizing ourselves in a vast world. Just think about the complexity of your coffee order. A simple cup of coffee can easily become a tall dark roast with two pumps of sugar free vanilla syrup and a splash of soy milk. A basic morning beverage has gone from being a cup of black coffee to your custom breakfast drink. It becomes another form of self-identification.
And these endless options are just your typical day-to-day decisions. The magnitude of options goes up dramatically in event planning. In an industry where everything needs to be customized, standard is not acceptable.
Stay tuned to my next blog to see how well you’ve trained yourself with personal options to be able to make decisions for the party you’re hosting. You wouldn’t want your bra visible because you picked the wrong shirt and the wrong lighting.