Sunday, June 24, 2012

Feeling Conflicted

Yesterday was a big annual event in my neighborhood that I've been involved on the planning committee for since I moved here 3 1/2 years ago.

In the weeks leading up to the event I told several of my friends, "next year remind me that I just want to help day of - I don't want to help plan it."

During the day yesterday, which for me ran from 7 am until midnight, with a 2 1/2 hour break in the early afternoon, I kept telling myself this was it. It was too much effort to be out there all day. Too stressful. Too hot.

At 9:40 pm when we had done as much clean up as we possibly could before everyone left the event I was SO over it.

But then, at 10:10 as the headlining act, one of my favorites from my college/immediate post college years, closed the show with one of their most popular songs I made my way to the side of the stage to dance and sing along with some of the other event organizers.

And suddenly I was LOVING it and couldn't imagine anywhere I'd rather be.

Granted, even if I was just a day of volunteer I could have still been in that spot. So that doesn't justify the feeling that despite everything I said leading up to yesterday, I'll be right back there, in the midst of another 16 hour day again next June.

I think it's because I'm a people pleaser, and that event made so many people happy. Throughout the week leading up to it and all day yesterday we had people thanking us for putting it on. Saying how great it felt to live in a neighborhood that offered free activities that celebrated our community's talents and attracted young and old.

And for things like this to happen, there have to be people who volunteer to make them happen.

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