Once I officially finished working for The Crazy Man in early January, I was able to transition into Bar Mitzvah planning mode with my free afternoons. It became my part-time job and I soon ate, slept, breathed all things Bar Mitzvah. My mindset quickly became something of "Before Bar Mitzvah" and "After Bar Mitzvah". Life for me didn't exist after May 12 and I knew if I could just make it to the magical day, I'd be able to resume my regular routine and start making all my crazy plans again. Kids wanted to know when they were going to Orlando in the Summer? Sorry, ask me that again on May 13th. Jeff wanted to plan our road trip to take the kids to camp at the end of July? Nope! We can figure it out after May 12th. Get my car in for an oil change? No way, José. I'll wait until the week after May 12th. I needed to make plans to see some girlfriends for a birthday dinner? Sure, I'm available - NOTHING had been scheduled after May 12th. I knew my calendar was open. Ask me where they decided to go eat? No clue. I'll find out after May 12th. Every spare moment was spent strategizing and figuring out the best way to execute my vision. Whether it was realistic to pull off or completely crazy for me to think this would work, I was determined to see it thru. And let me tell you Amazon was around for all of it. I knew I had a hard stop two days before Saturday, May 12th. That's when you can no longer get things in their famously known 2 day shipping policy for prime members.
I rediscovered something about myself that I knew and hadn't experienced in some time. As I get closer and closer to a really important day, my mind goes into overdrive while I'm sleeping and I get some crazy nightmares. In no particular order here are some of the crazier ones I remembered.
1. I get glaucoma and can't see a thing on May 12th. I am running around town trying to find someone to do emergency glaucoma surgery hours before services are scheduled to start.
2. I had booked my photographer back in October. There was no reason to keep in contact with her until early May when we'd touch base again. In my nightmare, the photographer had died and no one told me. I didn't find out until May 11th when the family was at the synagogue ready to take pictures.
3. There was a little person convention in the hotel family and friends were staying at. The lobby was packed solid with midgets and the family couldn't get thru the crowd to exit the hotel and make it to services.
Now, you have to understand, while I know during waking hours, these are absolutely absurd to think it would occur, in my sleep I am actually panicking and freaking out. Ah, how wonderful is our subconscious?
I think the reason I had much anxiety imagining everything that could go wrong is because you only get one chance to get it right. Ian is never having another bar mitzvah. And there is so much that is out of your control that you have to hope all the planning and preparation is enough to see you thru to a successful event.
I can't keep a plant alive, but I now have a son who can read from the Torah. That's pretty cool! At the end of the day, that's all that matters. While the party was fun and its a great thing to celebrate with all your friends and family, you can't lose sight on why you are there in the first place.
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