Here we are chatting with a guest at last month’s “Soup Kitchen Dinner”. Thanks to Stacie Tamaki for the nice photo — more pictures on her blog.
In recent weeks, several of my best colleagues (Nicole Lisanne, Amy Frugoli, and Andrew Hsu) wrote wonderful, detailed accounts about the benefits they bring their clients’ celebrations. I recommend you read their thoughtful comments. And browse through their blogs, to find plenty of keen observations and helpful insights.
But first, a story.
I just don’t get it! Poor Tiger Woods got involved in an auto accident the other day. Or so I’m told, and the rumors began flying 15 minutes afterward. I didn’t witness the event myself, and eye-witness accounts are notoriously unreliable anyway, so please don’t mistake my words for the truth. I really don’t know first hand what happened.
Who does? You? Certainly not the people who offer their eager listeners opinions that begin with “Here’s my take on it…” or “Reliable authorities have reported…”
I believe no one knows exactly and completely what happened, or why. The participants and spectators have a vested interest to report whatever shadowy version suits them. No matter how sincere, they can’t escape their bias — it’s the way they look at the world. And whether or not we accept it, the rest of us are totally in the dark, as usual.
Yet here we are, standing in a hurricane of groundless speculations claiming to illuminate the unreported mysteries. Why are so many of us acting this way?
I just don’t get it! You have an answer?
Well, maybe the simplest answer is the best: We just like to wonder about the unknowable.
If so, why does it matter? Woods is a remarkable athlete, always will be, and except for temporarily tarnishing his reputation with all this temporary attention, I think wondering is harmless in this case. The notoriety will cost him some and reward him some. Just like most of the celebrity scandals you’ll recall — about the deaths of JFK, Anna Nicole Smith, and Michael Jackson, or the trials of Charles Manson, O.J. Simpson, or Bernie Madoff, we’ll never know the truth. If we really MUST have an answer, then we believe whatever we believe.
Whoa! Here I am, speculating about the unknowable, too. But my certainty rests on how little we’ll ever know, rather than on the details of what most likely happened or could happen with Mr. Woods.
That’s OK, in my opinion. I’m comfortable accepting that there are some things I can never know, and I’d prefer not making something up, just to have an answer, right or wrong. Flying blind is no problem here, because I think whatever we believe won’t matter, and a crash landing has no significant consequences.
However, flying blind through life is a serious problem whenever the consequences of our decisions count. Sometimes we really need the voice of experience to guide us, or the eye of an expert to see what we’re missing.
Can you guess where I’m heading? Sure, I’m talking about where I’ve devoted so many hours of my professional life — celebrations, especially weddings and parties. For over 34 years I’ve seen countless examples where the vision of a professional expert either created a perfect event or prevented a catastrophe. And others where flying blind led to a disaster. Everyone has stories, right?
Everyone is an expert at something. Most of my colleagues are experts at some aspect of creating a special celebration — whether they manage the entire project, or capture images in a video or a photograph, or present sensational food, from appetizers to desserts, or create a stunning atmosphere with decor, flowers, music, and lighting. They are the experts every successful event requires, and without them things easily go wrong.
So when someone plans an important event, they could ask a pro to assure everything goes perfectly. Or they could wonder about things they simply don’t know and hope for the best. That is, fly blind and risk crashing.
I love participating in successful events, and I hate having to solve preventable problems, so that’s why I always look forward to working with a team of pros. By the way, the band still entertains somewhere nearly every day. I’m always seeking our next opportunity, and if we can help you, please call us at 408-245-9120. Visit MagnoliaJazz.com for our schedule, and catch us at a public event soon.
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Related posts:
- The Endless Search for Weddings and Parties
- An Expert Event Planner
- Back to Basics for Weddings and Parties
