We have so many invitations in our lives. As children we are invited to parities. We invite our friends to our own parties. But the guest list is usually parent-controlled or dictated by a class list.
As we get older, I’m talking the grand old age of about ten, we begin to question why we should invite everyone ‘just because’ and become more selective in our choices of people we share momentous occasions with.
Though adolescence, invitations become a status symbol….who is or is not invited becomes a crucial element in social standing and ‘coolness’. Adults poo-poo this as childish; part of the angst-ridden path a teenager takes on the path of self-discovery and self-invention.
Then, as an adult we justify our own decisions to invite a person or group to certain functions. We consider, with great care, the event, the mix of people, the space, and the benefit each guest will bestow on us, the hosts. This, of course is far more mature than the adolescent ‘clique’ invitations that can hurt and crush individuals beyond recognition!
But there are also the most amazing types of invitations….the ones that often do not appear on paper or an Evite. These invitations are more personal, more connected to the individuals involved. They can be invitations between a man and a woman to begin a discussion that may lead somewhere…or maybe not….but the invitation is implied in body language and signals.
Precious invitations between a parent and a child to have a snuggle or read a book together….bliss!
Invitations to ‘come to bed early, darling’ can be exciting and out of the ordinary.
We are complex creatures driven by primal instincts. Therefore the invitations from the heart and soul are the ones that really count. The invitation to a friends Bar Mitzvah, the wedding of distant cousins, or a children’s birthday party (you know, when you are relying on your child to point out the birthday boy as you have no clue who they are), are just part of the society we have created.
Go along and have fun! Enjoy being the one who gets the invitation and hope your BFF doesn’t find out she wasn’t invited!
But most of all, look out for the invitations we receive everyday from our fellow human beings; invitations to engage in a conversation, help a friend, an invitation to notice a moment that is precious to someone else. Invitations that need no RSVP!
