My spouse and I haven’t attended many parties since we had kids, so I’d about forgotten how different our feelings are about attending parties. Then we got an invitation to a block party put on by one of his coworkers, and it all came back to me.
My spouse’s response when he’s invited to a party: “A party! Something AWESOME might happen!”
My response when I’m invited to a party: “A party? Something awesome might happen…”
Our definitions of “awesome” are also somewhat different.
He listed for me the specific types of awesome this party would entail. He said, “There will be 100 people there! And kids for our kids to play with!”
I said, “Will there be enough bathrooms for everyone? Is there a website or a book that has a cheat-sheet of questions I can ask when engaged in small talk?”
He said, “They’re going to roast an entire pig!”
I said, “But the kids and I are planning to watch Babe before bed tonight…”
He said, “There’s going to be live music! Live music is always awesome!”
I said, “Do we have any ear plugs? We should get some for the kids, too. And do you think they’ll have a place where I can sit and read?”
In the end, the party lived up to both of our expectations: My husband got to drink beer and eat pig and chat with his coworkers, and I got to drink the water I’d brought and chase our kids and learn where everyone was born, where they live now, and how long their commute is.
I also got to lie in a hammock, which was kind of awesome…except that I forgot my book.
Imperfect Happiness 