Photograph Credit: Microsoft Images
When you attend an event as an invitee, can you relax and just enjoy the event? I struggle – big time – just sitting and relaxing!
Recently, my son’s Sunday school teacher graciously planned a party for the first grade students and their families.
His teacher planned time for play, games, food, and entertainment. The party was well planned, but I still struggled with relaxing.
Struggle Arises
For me the hardest part was relaxing during the meal. After gathering food for my children and me, we ate. I then began perusing the room identifying trash can locations, mapping a direct route from the food to the kitchen, and checking to see how far along the guests were to finishing. My husband watching my movements, whispered, “You don’t have to worry about cleanup.”
How nice to have someone, who understands me, snap me back to reality. It was at that moment that I realized that the event planner in me was at work. I rarely attend an event where I am not coordinating or assisting. In these times of attendance, I really struggle to relax.
Evaluating Myself
My personality is to organize while using time wisely. I do not try to be organized; God created me organized. It’s who I am. I cannot refrain from organizing and planning, so I need to learn to take a secondary role.
Changing my Focus
When the event is not within my leadership, I am still trying to solve their problems and plan the next activity. At this event, I chose to go down to the gymnasium to watch the kids play while other adults stayed to help cleanup. Though choosing cleanup would have been easier for me, I needed to practice taking a secondary role and relaxing.
Though I need more practice, the art of taking a secondary role is a learned skilled. As I continue to practice, I hope to find attending events more enjoyable and relaxing. In the meantime, I am thankful for those, who know me, jarring me back to reality when I get distracted. Happy relaxing!
Question: When you attend an event, do you struggle to relax?