We've decided, and not entirely out of necessity, to adopt a casual living style at our home. To be honest, as of late I've come to the conclusion that anyone who consciously chooses formal over casual is either a) out of their mind, b) living up to expectations set by previous generations of people trying to live up to an undefined European ideal, c) a masochist, d) a sadist.That said, I've finally confronted the fact that I have no clue whatsoever how to entertain people in my own home. To me, it's a monumental, unfathomable task. Dealing with people is one thing. I do well enough in public and at other peoples' houses. But the mere thought of two semi-strangers sitting on my couch makes my hair stand on end and my behind pucker. I, after all, would be responsible for their happiness for the portion of their life spent in my home. I don't want that kind of responsibility!
People are so different. They're like puffy, hairy, walking Pandora's boxes of judgment and expectations. How, after all, should I be able to know that Sandy positively despises tomatoes in her salad and that George is allergic to ice cubes?To invite other human beings to one's home is to set oneself up for utter failure, humiliation and devastation of what pride one has managed to squander after a lifetime of trying on bathing suits in tiny florescent lit rooms that may or may not have two-way mirrors, and dealing with others and who have bought a smelly bill of goods from advertisers and as such have adopted as their top purpose in life selling us the illusion that they are better looking, smarter, happier, thinner, funnier, and better parents than we are.
Clearly, to entertain in one's own home is madness!
Yet, I want to learn how to do it. I want to learn how to do everything that has me stymied. It's one thing to not entertain out of choice, another to not entertain out of fear and ignorance. Any tips for a mother of two teeny children? How do you make everyone happy and not lose your mind?
