The Natural Party Planner Friend

I have recognized recently over the years that if we are lucky enough to have a friend who is a thoughtful, natural party planner person, then when birthdays or events happen in our lives, they are the ones who plan or surprise us with balloons, gifts, cake, card, or parties, etc etc.

There is a female friend among a large group of women pool players that is this exact person.  When she is on your league team, when birthdays come around for her teammates you see photos on Facebook of the celebration of balloons and bags of gifts and cakes.  On other teams, a birthday may come and go and no one does anything.  Not because no on cares, but because no one of the team is a natural party planner person like this certain person is.

When she change teams, I noticed after she left that her previous team no longer had birthday parties or a smattering of gift bags for the birthdays anymore of her ex teammates.  The thoughtful parties were all because of her initiative.

I don't know there are so few of people like her with this awesome trait, but we are all very thankful when we have someone like her in our lives.  She happens to be the one who also put together the Celebration of Life for my Mom.  She put together and planned the entire afternoon get together for friends, dinner, dedicated table for my Mom, etc for me.  I am SO thankful she did that in honor of my Mom who SO deserved that.  I didn't have the strength or mental energy to even get out of bed after she passed.

I have another friend at work who is the natural party planner person, as well.  When our birthdays come around, she makes sure that something is done for us or buys us a card that the group has signed.

I try and be a thoughtful friend and do things for others, but I am not the natural party person.  I am more thoughtful as time has gone on, for sure.  But have not been at their level at all my whole life.

It's sometimes tough to remember during times we wish people would do things for us, that we may not have one of those awesome natural party planners as a close friend.  I fall into this group of people who get disappointed, so I need to remember not everyone is this type of person.

For the times we DO have them in our lives, they have made us feel wonderful because they make us feel appreciated and thought of.  They themselves may be the only natural party person in their life.  So, don't forget to do something for them.