Yesterday we had a house full at Thanksgiving. I love having my house full of loved ones, and more than talking with everyone, I like to host and listen to the laughter and banter. That warms my heart and brings back so many positive memories of holidays and good times past with my big extended family.
I have to be careful, however, that I'm not too much of a perfectionist when it comes to gatherings as there's always a good number of unexpected occurrences throughout big family events. Last night I wrestled with a bit of fatigue since I got up way too early to prep the holiday food as well as some health care challenges for an elderly family member.
I wanted the meal to go well, and I was somewhat unsure of how much time it would take me to prepare the dishes so I got up extra early to get it all done. The only problem with that is that my energy waned during the end of the party. Next time I won't get up so early because now I have a better idea of how long each dish takes to make. It wasn't my first time hosting Thanksgiving, but it was my first time making some of the foods I included in the dinner menu. On the upside, the foods my guests and I made were very tasty and well-received.
As for my elderly family member, I couldn't anticipate the full range of care needs his health issues required. I was fairly prepared, but not completely prepared so that threw a bit of a wrench into the day and evening. Yet, with teamwork, we were able to help, and all things worked out well.
With any event, there will be unexpected occurrences both positive and challenging, and I'm trying to train myself to be more flexible rather than to have a fixed, unchanging expectation in my mind. I'm getting better at it, but I still have room for growth. Onward.
