When I saw this … it all made sense.
🙂
It really did. It hit me, like that a-ha! moment I had when I saw the He’s Just Not That Into You movie and all the stars aligned and I was like yeah. Totally get it now.
But then I started thinking of exigent circumstances. I mean when could you really let it go … that your friend showed up 87 minutes late to a girls night out and you only had two hours because your babysitter holds the key to your life and that’s all you could get.
If you have kids … I get it. Babysitter is late. There’s vomit. There’s not enough Goldfish Crackers to go around. You ran out of wipes. The DVR didn’t record the latest Peppa Pig and you needed to know what happened. I get it. Meltdowns happen and you’re gonna be late. Most parents give themselves a buffer zone because they know this might happen. They just know and there’s a forgiveness clause on that. They’re just happy that they made it out in one piece.
But if that’s not your case, then what the hell is going on?
Just be honest and be like … nah … I kind of don’t want to go. I mean it’ll be a bummer but it’s better than waiting there at the Regal Beagle without Jack or Janet.
But then I thought of intentions. I mean when the idea was brought up to you a couple of days ago you totally wanted to go. You checked your iPhone calendar and knew it was clear and you even did a silent cheer in your head. You were the first one on board.
And then the week hit you hard, work was hard, life was hard, and Friday came … and you thought … I don’t know.
It just crept into your head.
Doubt.
Is it worth it to leave the house? Is it really? I got Netflix. Cable. HBO. A box of wine. Do I really need to leave?
Then the doubt is fueled.
Traffic. There might be traffic. I think there’s an accident. Exhaustion. I feel pretty exhausted right now, the Friday night exhaustion that hits you in your 40s or late 30s that never seemed to appear in your 20s. Then you feel the love of your Old Navy pajamas and they feel so right. And then you think, do I even have gas in the car? Do I have cash in my wallet? I mean if you have to go to the bank, or put gas in the car, forget it. That might just kill the whole outing all together.
There are just too many hurdles and you begin to bargain with yourself about whether you reeeeeeaaaaally need to go. You say you’ll feel better once you get there, you always do, it’s just the “getting there” part that is sucking right now.
Ultimately guilt sets in and you muster up enough Maybelline and Red Bull to get you out of the house. You stroll on in with some excuse about traffic and grab a drink while your buddies are already into the good part of the conversation. They see you stroll in and you think they bought your traffic excuse, but they know … they know … because they were just on the same freeway and they know you have the speed through traffic app on your phone.
So if you don’t want this sweater as your next gift, think long and hard before committing to your next date, outing, hanging out session, or shenanigan. Or maybe you should just say no from the start, and then when Friday comes around, you change your mind if you want. You can totally show up and surprise them because even if you are late, they’ll be glad to see you.
Buen Camino my friends.
The Wish Factor 
A kinda sorta New Years resolution of mine is to go out with friends more. And by more I mean sometimes….when I feel up to being out after eight and there’s nothing good on TV and I’d rather hang out with these people and catch up than be in my lounge pants. So by ‘more’ I mean sometimes, as in, a handful of times. Which works for me, lol.
Cayman! Sorry for just getting back to you on this as I’ve fallen behind on my comments section. I keep writing and then I get stuck on one comment and then I’m lost in parenthood. But how is your New Year’s Resolution coming along … going out more and changing into your awesome jeans instead of sporting your lounge pants? Nothing good on TV today … but yesterday … yesterday was The Walking Dead … so you know lounge pants time!
Nah, the lounge pants still rule. And never a need to apologize for a late reply. Are you kidding me Cali? I’m right there with you on that. I love my blog but I’m living my life.
And yes! Walking Dead DOES equal lounge pants time!
Lounge Pants. Loving them. I think my people call them yoga pants a.k.a. Costco sweatpants. And they are constantly on during Walking Dead appearances. 🙂
If only it were socially appropriate to wear lounge pants in public. Without having to be a musical artist, I mean.
There’s a huge difference between being late because of unforeseen circumstances and being late because of a rampant case of self-centered inconsideration. It’s easy to understand and be okay with the first, especially if the person running late has the common decency to contact you and let you know what’s happening. Blatant inconsideration is a lot harder to swallow.
It sure is and it happens quite often with this person. Most people say ohhhh you should just know already and pad your time. I disagree. I just think people should keep their word (barring unforeseen circumstances If they choose to be constantly late t of course) or they’re gonna miss out and so they did. When they arrived and ordered their food, I told them I had to leave my babysitter had already stayed later than expected. So I paid part of my meal and left.
wow i like this
Thanks. Glad you can stop by and take a look.
no i can’t
What are you talking about? I don’t understand your response. I was just thanking you for stopping by my site and looking at my article … As in taking the time to read it. I’m unsure about your confusion, or whether this comment was for someone else’s story. In any case hope you continue checking out other people’s blogs.
I totally understand, both as the person waiting at the restaurant, bar, movie house and the person who gets so bogged down with the thought of life that they wonder if it’s worth leaving the house. Thanks for sharing. Found you through the IWSG. Have a good week! http://www.dianeweidenbenner.com