Rejection
So today was my son’s first birthday party. His actual birthday was Monday, but we chose to have the party today, given that it’s just better to have parties on the weekend and all…
We invited the usual suspects, which for us includes a good mix of family and a few close friends. Most did not attend. In fact, those that did attend came and left at odd times, so there wasn’t a consistent group of people here at any given time. We made the most of it of course, and Michael (the birthday boy) could’ve cared less. At his age it’s irrelevant. But for me, it is. And it hurts.
It hurts to know that people I invited to share in a special day for my son could not find time in their “busy” lives to attend. It hurts to know that people who said they would come decided to bail at the last minute, without so much as a phone call, email or heck even a text message! (I mean really people, it’s VERY easy nowadays to gracefully bow out of an event without actually even speaking to a human being!)
For me it’s about rejection. I’ve always hated being told “no.” In fact, I used to hate asking my mother things as a kid because I knew her answer and didn’t want to hear it. Same holds true today. I can’t stand inviting people to something…anything, and having them tell me they can’t make it. I take it personally. That’s my problem, yes, but it also makes me reflect on those that I have invited. And wonder why the event I’ve invited them to is not as important to them as it is to me. Now I’m not THAT vain & self-centered. I know that I’m not the most important person in other people’s lives. But alas, if I’ve invited you to something it’s because I WANT you to be there. I chose to include you. You are important to me so I kinda hope for the same in return.
Rejection hurts. No matter how tough, how rich, how pretty or how many friends you have, we’re all human. And when you hear that two letter word <no>, it can be crushing. I mean, sure, things come up, and we can’t all attend everything! Let’s be real. But give it some thought the next time you get an invitation to something. Before you quickly write it off as “just another function” that you can’t attend, think about why that person invited you in the first place.
3 years ago