Party

I threw a party this evening. Nothing fancy, nominally a work-related holiday party, but really an excuse to connect with and give thanks to some people I’ve liked and have worked with over the years (and who happen to be in NY at the moment) and to watch them enjoying each others’ company. It was delightful to see people of varying backgrounds and ages, each of them somebody I like, meeting each other and having fun together.

The youngest guests were in the early twenties, the oldest probably pushing seventy, and there was the usual wide ranging mix of ethnicities, nationalities and backgrounds that we get here in Manhattan. Everyone seemed completely engaged by everyone else. Charles and I merged our “very favorite songs” playlists, so an intriguingly eclectic mix of musical sensibilities became our soundtrack for the evening. My old friend Darcy showed up with the gift of various miniature remote control flying toys, and it somehow seemed perfectly natural for guests to take turns throughout the evening, sending these little spinning contraptions sailing overhead.

There didn’t seem any point in telling people that the entire party was vegan, and people didn’t seem to notice – they were just enjoying all the munchies and pies and cupcakes and other goodies. Which in some sense is the point.

It’s strange, isn’t it, how people need an official excuse to simply relax and enjoy life. We spend so much of our time playing serious roles, and then once in a while we have these officially declared things we label “parties”, times set aside when it is ok to be a little silly, to goof around, to smile and have fun with one another.

It would be great if we could figure out a way to do that more often – without needing to put a label on it.

2 thoughts on “Party”

  1. Not really related to the post, but, just curious…

    I don’t remember you being vegan. How long have you been following this path, and what is the reason?

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *