The Ditching Game

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I used to have this notion that whenever I plan something, I need to plan it with someone else because I have a jinx in planning. It just seemed like everything I planned back in college always ends up being cancelled, regardless of what it is. It took some time before my confidence in planning things grew, and if it wasn’t for some of my friends who didn’t believe in this “jinx”, I wouldn’t have initiated any other gimmicks or outings.

I suppose you could say I am a bit of a control freak when it comes to things like this. I like it when there’s some semblance of a concrete plan whenever I go out with friends. I wish I could say I’m more spontaneous, that I can do things on a whim every time. I can do things on a whim from time to time, but every time? I’d go crazy.

But I digress.

It’s fun to organize little gimmicks like that, especially when people have fun when they come. Like beach trips, for instance. Most of the time it’s fun. But you know what sucks when you’re the organizer of events?

When people do not show up.

This is the time I wonder if my supposed jinx back then was really a jinx, or if people I invite were just into ditching, of leaving other people behind, up in the air. Who knows?

I know I’m not the perfect person who is always present in whatever my friends plan, but I try as much as I can to be present. Or when I can’t, I try to tell the persons involved that I can’t go and why I can’t go. Sometimes the reasons are valid, and yes, there are times when I’m just simply not in the mood. But still I try.

Which is why I can’t understand sometimes why other people confirm for things, but do not show up. You text and text, sometimes call, but there is zero reply. How annoying is that? Is it so hard to hit reply? Or leave a message in Facebook or YM or something?

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not pissed. At least, not anymore. I was kind of annoyed yesterday about some things related to what I just wrote, but now I’m not. Maybe I’m still a bit annoyed, but I had too much fun yesterday to forget about all of that. Sort of.

That doesn’t stop me from being friends with them. And honestly, I have a feeling that the people involved may have forgotten about it, and think that it’s nothing. Well, it’s not nothing, but I’m not really the one to make such a big fuss about it. But I probably would think twice in inviting these people again for another gimmick. Maybe if they plan things, I will be able to go. I can invite them again, but I wouldn’t keep my hopes up.

Oh so negative. But a word of advice? Out of respect to your friends who took the time and effort to organize fun things to do for everyone, please don’t ditch them. If you can’t come, regardless of the reason, it shouldn’t be much effort to tell them that you can’t come, so they’d stop expecting you there, yes? You need to have pressure washers just so you can tell your friend that you can’t come. Because really, being stood up sucks, big time.