Glittering Gold Ground
My staff and I threw a huge event. It could be described as a soiree, filled with music, food, a photo booth, activities, and mixing and mingling under the globe lights strung across the entire piazza. We created this event in our apartment complex, our blank canvas a court dominated by a pool in the center, poor lighting, and the awkwardness of setting up an event right out side other people's apartments. Lovingly entitled Yacht Club for reasons I'm not quiet sure, somehow relating to the pool I guess, is a traditional event on campus every year it has a new theme and twist depending on who is planning it. Creating something out of nothing is so fun, to dream up a vision and experience for others then actually bring it into existence. It was a lot of work to execute, but ended with a beautiful display of my staff's creativity.
Initially, I was somewhat pessimistic about this event. I am a realist when it comes to planning, making the dreamer's dreams into attainable realities. I aired on the side of caution for most Yacht Club things, wanting it to be a successful event and not a sinking ship. We worked very hard the day before and the day of, making last minute decorations, multiple Costco runs, realizing we had no tables, stringing lights across long distances, running out of outlets. Taking a quick break for lunch then to change into formal attire later left for little time to decompress before the actual event. I was worried no one would come or no one would dress up or the music would die or someone would jump in the pool and get lit on fire by the floating tea lights. I know a pool is water, still, it could happen. I wasn't willing to believe Yacht Club would be a success until people started showing up. They came and they stayed and I was a little shocked. I believed it was a great event, I didn't know if others would believe it could be a fun use of their Saturday night.
If you build it they will come dressed in formal attire ready to dance to music and eat lots of finger food.
The simple things became magical under the glow of the twinkling lights. Chocolate dipped Oreos with gold sprinkles were majestic, Italian soda delectable, and a black curtain with some gold letters became a coveted photo backdrop. One last minute decoration enacted was sprinkling gold glitter all over the walking area that lead to food and activities outside the pool area. A girl on my staff did it initially as a joke, but the joke became instant magic. The warm lights made the glitter on the rough, dirty cement glow, fashioning a path of sparkling possibilities.
The night went swimmingly, people singing along to the music, bounding back to the food table often for party meatballs, walking slowly from table to table over the glimmering ground. Melodic refrains of "What a Wonderful World" flittered in and out of the tree branches swaying in the slight breeze that pushed the tea light candles around in the pool. Laughter of friends approaching brought a smile to my face as my hands grew sticky at the Italian soda bar.
I loved walking around knowing what a poorly lit, awkwardly shaped space we began with and seeing the beauty we created. Especially the gold glitter on the ground, it unified the event and stuck. Literally. My heals tracked glitter into my apartment long after Yacht Club was torn down and packed away in boxes and cars and closets. I awoke the morning after Yacht Club early, feeling as though the previous night was a dream. I walked out of my apartment to no lights strung across the expanse of the court, no music playing, no people filling the sidewalk, but the gold glitter remained. The sun made it sparkle, lighting my way, a silent reminder of the magical event we put hours and hours of work into and what a stunning success it was.
A few days later I was tired and overwhelmed with a week filling with commitments before it could begin. I was standing in the sun with grocery bags of ice cream cartons melting, discussing with a friend about plans and responsibilities and trying to figure out a time to see each other the next day. Many people were around and talking and laughing and I needed to get the ice cream into the freezer. I was obviously verging on overwhelmed. When I turned to go to my apartment she said, "Brookie, look down at gold glitter." The gold glitter became the reminder of the beauty we created, the joy we felt working together, the memories formed and how we made the impossible, possible. Hope. It's a funny thing. If gold glitter can transform a boring walk way into an element of Yacht Club talked about for days afterwards, what else can be so simply transformed? A splash of hope and the darkness becomes light.
