It's Nobody's Party

   Have you ever thrown a party for someone in your family who has reached a milestone? Maybe they turned 30 or 40 or 50 or perhaps did something spectacular like graduate from high school, college or made it through boot camp. Maybe they won something special like first place in a contest or show. Nonetheless, all of us have been involved in the party as the recipient or have assisted in the planning and execution of said party. The majority of the time we throw parties for people we know. Parties are fun and they allow people to laugh and let loose a little and just have a great time hanging out with others. This past weekend my family and I went to a neighborhood party. It was fun and it was evident people were having a good time. What if we did the unthinkable though. One of the things some friends of mine are planning is a party for people we don't know. How is that for a curve ball? For some this might be nerve racking. For others this might sound perfect. Would you ever throw a party for people you don't know? Well, maybe after this post you and your friends may want to give it a try. What's the harm in that? Nothing, of course!

   It is no secret to most of you who know me that I am an outgoing person. I love to talk to people. It is something I saw my father do all of the time as a kid. He would talk to anyone. My favorite was when he would talk to the highway tollbooth collectors. I would often wonder, "why in the world would he talk to them?" Dad was on to something. He cared about those folks and took the time to appreciate their presence. The older I get the more I find I am like him. And it is an absolute joy. You don't have to be outgoing to be nice to someone or pay them a compliment. Maybe your words cheer them up from a bad day. Maybe they need some company. Perhaps a smile to their face will change their mood or an invitation to gather with others will brighten their week. What a small but spot-on way to invest in the life of another soul. I want to also submit that you do not have to be "outgoing" to throw a party for people you don't know. So, now that we are all aboard what would that party look like? Where would you have it? For some, the thought of inviting absolute strangers into their home scares them. Yes, I get it. The world is dangerous. I'm sure we all can use common sense. So, put your common sense to use and get to planning your party. The sanguine in me wants it. Does yours?

  Do you have people in your neighborhood that no one associates with? Do you know people where you work or go to school who are never invited to anything? People everywhere are always getting left out. Do you talk to someone at your gym or local recreation center who always gets passed over socially? For some reason they don't cut the mustard. I am sure we all remember the kid everyone made fun of in school. Perhaps you were that person who received such abuse. You know the kid who was maybe overweight, wearing glasses and tripping over him or herself. We all would do what came easy: follow the crowd and join in making fun and ridiculing someone for the way they looked or talked. It was easy to pile on and harder to stand there and take the fire with the kid who always gets it. Maybe we can start a revolution in our neighborhoods, schools, workplaces and communities and see this awful travesty reversed. Maybe we can start to become more uncomfortable so others can feel comfortable. I believe the time is now. Let's not wait one minute longer. Let's throw some parties and be all-inclusive kind of people. You could change some one's life. How much is that worth? A party for the ages. Now there is an investment worth my contribution and yours.

  Society has a way of telling us what is acceptable. What kind of house we should live in, the car we should drive, the clothes we should wear, the gym we should belong to and on and on it goes. I bet Cosmo has a section on who to invite over for dinner or to a party. I am sure there is a protocol. Maybe Cosmo does and maybe they don't but when did we allow what society told us to rule our decision-making? Does anyone else out there think this is beyond maddening? I mean, how much time and energy do we waste just trying to fit in? We have to have Pottery Barn furniture and buy clothes with a popular label. Do we all just give in? I hope not. What if we took that energy of trying to get all of our social ducks in a row and opened up our homes to the people no one else will associate with! Talk about being the change we want to see in our world. That would be the epitome of going against the grain. What is stopping us? Well, fear for one. Second, we don't want our house slimed by the decrepit and marginalized of society. Sounds a lot like what we did back in school. The madness can stop, one party at a time.

  So, how do we execute the planning of this party? Maybe we start with inviting people we know with some we may not know so well. Ease your way into it. My friends and I will have a party similar to this idea. We all know each other and the people coming won't know any of us. Sounds perfect to me! One of the things we all miss at some point in our lives is the idea of servant hood. What does it mean to truly serve others? I believe servant hood is displayed when we put aside our own interests and seek to lookout for the interests of those no one else will. It sounds pretty simple to but yet it is so hard for us to put into practice. So, why is it so hard? I am not totally sure. I can venture many guesses and some will be right on. We all work hard. We are all tired. The busy excuse won't fly. Time marches on and people are being passed over. Invite Mr. and Mrs. Nobody to your next party. I bet deep down inside they always wanted to be Mr. and Mrs. Somebody. Perhaps not even Mr. and Mrs. but just Somebody. Maybe they just need someone to throw them a line. Maybe they want to feel important for once in their life. We can all participate in some way. Sure, life is not just about what we do but at the same time we need to remember those who others have forgotten. Let's throw parties everywhere. The Nobodies are waiting. Remember, it's about the dash!