The tyranny of rising expectations

I started this blog under the influence of Dr. Richard Swenson's book In Search of Balance.  After a year of  "finding soul balance", I actually feel fairly balanced.  However, now I feel like there is too much of everything.  I often move at such a rapid pace that I have no time to take a breath.  So, I've started reading another one of his books called Margin.   

In planning my husband's company Christmas party for tomorrow night, I have been occasionally overwhelmed by the never-ending details.  I have to stop and remember that it won't be perfect.  With all of the entertaining magazines and blogs out there, I should be able to come up with the perfect decor, the appropriate music, and the best food.  The reality is that I can hardly finish cleaning one area before my children have created a whole city made out of tiny little pieces of paper in another area. 

And of course, the biggest question is - What should I wear?

With all of these clothes, why do I feel like I have nothing to wear?  I believe it is due to the tyranny of rising expectations created by our super-information culture.  What happened to the age in which people had one nice dress that they wore to church and all special events?  We have so many options, that we expect things to be more than perfect.

So thanks to analysis provided by reading Dr. Swenson's book, I am going to re-frame our party tomorrow night from the idea of "entertaining" to the idea of "hospitality".  We didn't invite everyone to our house to show off our "fancy" things.  We invited them so they will feel comfortable and enjoy each other.  As I have said before, it's people that make a party.