Warning, this post my be a little sappy for the faint of heart.
Last weekend, I had the opportunity to work for a class reunion/Alumni weekend for Notre Dame. My main job was a greeter/ticket sales person at the refreshment tent. My hours were very late at night, from about 4 in the afternoon til 1 AM. For those of you who don't know, Refreshment tent is IN is not the same as the refreshments we have after firesides or other church meetings. Refreshments here mean alcohol. My job was to sell $30 tickets for people to get into the tent where they were able to take unlimited amounts of drinks. So I spent the weekend around very drunk people from ages about 28-78, trying to live up their glory college days.
Drunk people are pretty funny at first. Especially in a reunion setting. They are all happy and excited and just all around fun to be around. Honestly, at first, it makes the whole drinking scene look a little appetizing. You just hold a drink and sip on it and feel relaxed and loose. Most of the time it seems like everything is so much more funny when people are starting to drink. So at first working this thing, I was feeling like it wasn't even a big deal to be around at all. In fact, it was pretty fin, I love to laugh, and everyone around me was so happy seeming and it was just a fun atmosphere.
Then, all of a sudden, things start to change. Things go from funny to insanely hilarious to the point where they are almost falling over from laughing so hard. As people come in and out of the tent, they are more abrasive and not very kind. And by this point even the people coming into the tent to get more drinks are coming to me to buy a ticket already drunk, and are not very happy when they find out it is $30 to get in. They all start to lie and say that they wouldn't drink if I would just let them in, and most men, no matter their age, would revert to trying to flirt with me to get in. Well, I am happily married and understand that I am young, and a few little comments from others are mostly harmless, but when they are drunk, its not harmless comments. They don't control themselves or what comes out of their mouths. It is not pleasant.
I was also subjected to the nasty, absolutely physical and sexual comments that were supposed to be flirting between people who were married. However they were sexually flirtatious with people who were not their spouses. I heard one lady, class of 87, so near my mom's age, who was flirting with her old college fling. He was flirting right back, and I decided to listen to what they were saying. He asked her how her husband and children are. she said the kids are great and so is her husband, but, you know how it is, we have been married for almost 20 years now. I just don't think marriages are supposed to last that long, we have just been married too long. I don't love him they way I should, and I think it will end soon anyways. Needless to say, they left the refreshment tent with her being barely able to stand without leaning on her new/old fling, hand in hand with her hand rubbing his butt.
I know not to judge. I know that is wrong, so I am not judging them, I just feel so sorry for her husband and children. I hope this weekend didn't destroy their lives. All I know is that I am so very happy for my set of beliefs that almost 20 years is not nearly enough for a marriage. I am grateful to know that I married a man who is committed to me not only for our earthly life, but for the rest of forever. When you make the covenants to each other as well as God that you are committed for eternity, small arguments like whether the house is clean or wanting more attention, become less shattering, and you know that your marriage will survive that.
I know that every encounter with alcohol isn't life shattering, and that a lot of times people control themselves, but I am grateful that my husband and I both don't believe in drinking. I am grateful that my husband's love for me is not just physical, and that I didn't get stuck with a man who can only give me physical attention, but that he is attentive to my emotional needs as well. I hope this post is not offensive to anyone who reads it who does drink, but I grateful for my life the way it is.
For more information on my beliefs, and to learn about keeping your family together for eternity, visit www.mormon.org
Til next time!
Last weekend, I had the opportunity to work for a class reunion/Alumni weekend for Notre Dame. My main job was a greeter/ticket sales person at the refreshment tent. My hours were very late at night, from about 4 in the afternoon til 1 AM. For those of you who don't know, Refreshment tent is IN is not the same as the refreshments we have after firesides or other church meetings. Refreshments here mean alcohol. My job was to sell $30 tickets for people to get into the tent where they were able to take unlimited amounts of drinks. So I spent the weekend around very drunk people from ages about 28-78, trying to live up their glory college days.
Drunk people are pretty funny at first. Especially in a reunion setting. They are all happy and excited and just all around fun to be around. Honestly, at first, it makes the whole drinking scene look a little appetizing. You just hold a drink and sip on it and feel relaxed and loose. Most of the time it seems like everything is so much more funny when people are starting to drink. So at first working this thing, I was feeling like it wasn't even a big deal to be around at all. In fact, it was pretty fin, I love to laugh, and everyone around me was so happy seeming and it was just a fun atmosphere.
Then, all of a sudden, things start to change. Things go from funny to insanely hilarious to the point where they are almost falling over from laughing so hard. As people come in and out of the tent, they are more abrasive and not very kind. And by this point even the people coming into the tent to get more drinks are coming to me to buy a ticket already drunk, and are not very happy when they find out it is $30 to get in. They all start to lie and say that they wouldn't drink if I would just let them in, and most men, no matter their age, would revert to trying to flirt with me to get in. Well, I am happily married and understand that I am young, and a few little comments from others are mostly harmless, but when they are drunk, its not harmless comments. They don't control themselves or what comes out of their mouths. It is not pleasant.
I was also subjected to the nasty, absolutely physical and sexual comments that were supposed to be flirting between people who were married. However they were sexually flirtatious with people who were not their spouses. I heard one lady, class of 87, so near my mom's age, who was flirting with her old college fling. He was flirting right back, and I decided to listen to what they were saying. He asked her how her husband and children are. she said the kids are great and so is her husband, but, you know how it is, we have been married for almost 20 years now. I just don't think marriages are supposed to last that long, we have just been married too long. I don't love him they way I should, and I think it will end soon anyways. Needless to say, they left the refreshment tent with her being barely able to stand without leaning on her new/old fling, hand in hand with her hand rubbing his butt.
I know not to judge. I know that is wrong, so I am not judging them, I just feel so sorry for her husband and children. I hope this weekend didn't destroy their lives. All I know is that I am so very happy for my set of beliefs that almost 20 years is not nearly enough for a marriage. I am grateful to know that I married a man who is committed to me not only for our earthly life, but for the rest of forever. When you make the covenants to each other as well as God that you are committed for eternity, small arguments like whether the house is clean or wanting more attention, become less shattering, and you know that your marriage will survive that.
I know that every encounter with alcohol isn't life shattering, and that a lot of times people control themselves, but I am grateful that my husband and I both don't believe in drinking. I am grateful that my husband's love for me is not just physical, and that I didn't get stuck with a man who can only give me physical attention, but that he is attentive to my emotional needs as well. I hope this post is not offensive to anyone who reads it who does drink, but I grateful for my life the way it is.
 |
| I am grateful for the temple behind us where we were sealed for time and all eternity! I am also grateful for the way he looks at me. It is obvious that he loves me for everything that I am, even for my flaws, and I love him back for the same. |
 | |||
| I am grateful for his wonderful kiss, and how it means so much more than I could have ever imagined. |
Til next time!
I really liked this post. You did a great job portraying the atmosphere--I felt like I was there! What a sad story, but great reminder of the importance of families. Can't wait to play tonight!
ReplyDelete