Leading a Double Life
I recently went to a surprise party and as I was walking the dog this morning, it occurred to me that the whole idea behind a surprise party isn’t quite as simple as it may first appear.
The obvious idea behind a surprise party is of course, that it has to be kept a secret from the intended recipient of the surprise – and that can be an extremely difficult thing to do. Especially if there are blabbermouths, careless friends, party poopers or children involved!
The Real Secret Behind a Successful Surprise Party
I asked myself, ‘Why would someone want to throw a surprise party anyway? And why would attendees want to come?’
Firstly, the organiser of the surprise party probably has an emotional connection with the intended recipient, because it takes a lot more effort and a lot more commitment to organise a surprise party than it does an ordinary party.
For the organiser of the surprise party, he or she will have to live with heightened sense of awareness, sometimes for months leading up to the event. Invitations must be sent and followed up with phone calls in a secretive and often devious manner so that the intended recipient is left clueless. This is particularly difficult if the organiser is living under the same roof as the intended recipient of the surprise.
The organiser must use espionage skills, tell lies and be able to rope others in on the secret whilst also convincing them to join in on the lie in order to keep up the ruse.
Organisers may be required to hunt through desks, search offices and perhaps log into the intended recipient’s computer to find out the contact details of his or her friends.
Heightened Sense of Awareness, Fear and Stress.
As the date for the surprise party draws nearer and nearer, the organiser comes under more and more stress? will someone accidently blow the whole thing and ruin months of planning? Will anyone get found out and find their cover blown?
The whole thing brings with it a sense of heightened awareness to the organiser, who must remain constantly vigilant to protect the intended recipient of the surprise from accidentally discovering the plot.
On top of all this, the organiser doesn’t know how the recipient will react when they are finally ‘surprised’. Will they react positively? Will they be overcome? Will they feel violated? Angry? etc..
What does a surprise party have that other parties don?t?
Everyone involved with the surprise feels a part of the process. In the lead up to the event, each participant is in on it – they all feel included.
On the day of the surprise, every guest will feel the fear of discovery, a heightened sense of anticipation and each will share in the joy of the party that much more.
It is the party season; why not spring one on someone you love?