A few small reminders to a perfectionist self when feeling anxious about the impending arrival of friends who have never before visited your house but are coming by tonight:
- This house is old… very, very old. It will never be perfect, and you know that you like it that way, so embrace it!
- No, all the pictures still haven’t been hung, nor has all the furniture been purchased, nor have all the books been shelved (because we need more shelves). Like life, this home is a work in progress.
- You probably wouldn’t want to eat off the floor, but the place is clean enough. (And who wants to eat off the floor, anyway? Sheesh.)
- You have three very furry, fluffy, active cats. There will be cat hair! But they are lovely creatures, so it’s a small price to pay.
- You might not live in the very most desirable neighbourhood in town, but you like it here, so quit apologizing for it.
- Stop comparing yourself to your mom, to your friends, to other party hosts. You are you, and this party is yours, and it will be fine.
- These people are your friends. They’re not coming over to judge your house, or your hostessing abilities, or your cooking skills… and if they are, well, let them! You love your house, you love your friends, and you prepared for the evening with love… so it’s all good.
- What’s really the most important, above all, is that people feel welcome. The rest is gravy.
- This is supposed to be fun! Quit worrying about making everything perfect and start enjoying yourself already.
Learn it. Know it. Live it.
Twitter: TermiteWriter
May 4, 2013
Amen! Go for it! LOL
Lorinda J. Taylor recently posted… The Man Who Found Birds among the Stars, Ch. 9
Twitter: alphabetsalad
May 5, 2013
I did, and it was just fine! 🙂
Laurel Regan recently posted… Tap tap tap… is this thing on?
I always consider the cat hair to be a gift my guests get to take away with them, like a goody bag.
Twitter: alphabetsalad
May 5, 2013
I like your perspective, LOL!
Laurel Regan recently posted… Tap tap tap… is this thing on?
Twitter: CorinneBlogs
May 5, 2013
Ah – you wrote this for me! Except that we have a one very active dog that loves to welcome visitors ‘warmly’!
Corinne Rodrigues recently posted… 100 Words On Saturday – Week 9
Twitter: alphabetsalad
May 5, 2013
Glad I’m not the only one who deals with this sometimes!
I needed to read this list. I’m one of those who gets nervous about having people over because the house is always messy, we don’t have enough chairs, I don’t know what to make that everyone would like, etc. We’re having friends for dinner this weekend for the first time since we moved back into our house last year. There’ll be a marathon cleaning session, I know that! Thanks for the pep talk.
Twitter: alphabetsalad
May 7, 2013
You’re very welcome! I’ll bet your dinner party will be wonderful. 🙂
Laurel Regan recently posted… Tap tap tap… is this thing on?
And oh yes, we have an antisocial dog. She isn’t mean, but she’ll bark at visitors for a good five to ten minutes before she settles down into her sweet self. I try to tell people to ignore her, but I know it’s hard to do that, and they always seem a little uneasy at first.
Twitter: alphabetsalad
May 7, 2013
I know what you mean – it’s hard to keep them quiet when they get excited! We ended up shutting our cats in the basement for the first half hour or so, and let them out after everyone had arrived and settled in. It seemed to go well.
Laurel Regan recently posted… Tap tap tap… is this thing on?
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