Rant: Introvert annoyed by expectations

[catfeeder]

Just a rant, and I know it's stupid. I love a friend who's extroverted. Her personality is kind and funny. This is why I love her--there is nothing to not love, exactly.

 

I don't phone this friend 'just to chat' because every conversation needs to end with booking something. She's big on events, restaurants, live music, plays, festivals, spiritual outings or group get togethers. I can take this stuff in doses. So okay, I return her calls when I've got my calendar handy. But I've come to refer to her as my 'expensive' friend, because the only way to spend time with her is to spend far more money than I want to.

 

January spells ~after~ holiday parties, and I love them. I just came back from shopping for hostess gifts during a beautiful snow. I was feeling happy and gloaty that this storm is hitting today as to not impact a distant party tomorrow. I was buzzing as I picked up my mail on the way in.

 

Another invitation. Great. It's from my extrovert friend. Good. It's for the 12th. Fine. This friend, being a minister, requires some kind of prayer for peace in the form of poetry, writing, music or art. That's quite a stretch for me given that I'm not religious or talented in these areas. This whole experience is usually a bit too 'twee' for me, and uncomfortable. So I'll need to jump through a few hoops to research something to 'perform', and I'll grin and bear this part of the party. Okay.

 

So where's the catch? Never opposed to bringing food or drink, I read the rest: "Cookie Exchange--bring 2 - 3 dozen home baked cookies, mini-muffins or cake squares to share."

 

Home baked. In mid-January. Really?

 

My baking experience is limited to one time per year in sister's kitchen. Mom, sis and I work until we collapse. We baked a trillion cookies this year.

 

We gave them all away already.

 

I called Mom and Sis to see if they've got any cookies left. Nope.

 

Damn. I was feeling so great a moment ago. Not sure how easily I can find cookies that can meet the requirement. I guess if I can find a bakery in an apartment building--that's somebody's home, right?

 

GRRR... Maybe I'm a scrooge, but between the poetry performance and the cookie deal, I'm not enjOying this invitation right now.

[journeynow]

Why don't you just decline the invitation?

[iamkaylee]

Hahahaha I'd politely decline so fast it wouldn't be funny.

 

Baking up a bunch of cookies, no big deal for me but no way in hell would anyone ever get me to stand up and do some poetry/prose/artsy prayer reading thing. Uh uh, no.

 

Catfeeder, that might be her thing but if it's not yours that's OK. Don't look at it like "expectations" just look at it as something you don't particularly find appealing.

[catfeeder]

Hah! Thanks, ladies. I'm laughing about this now. The two sets of instructions just struck me as awfully exacting for a party.

 

At a neighbor's gathering I slipped them the story without showing my annoyance. All reacted the same way, "Decline!". Funny thing, it's the 'required reading' that shuts down everyone else, while the main horror of it for me is the 3-freakin-dozen cookies.

 

After a whole season of pushing the tins, this just put me over the edge. Need hotline: 1-800-BAKE-OFF, or something.

 

Big thanks for indulging me ; )