Not with a bang...

I love poetry and literature!  Some lines have stuck with me since high school.  Not because I had to learn them but because they "spoke" to something within me.  I suppose that's one of the signs of a good poet...and good poetry.  The title of this Blog entry is part of a line from T. S. Elliot's "The Hollow Men".  The full line is: "This is the way the world ends, not with a bang but a whimper."

That could describe my first workshop/party, too.  It ended, not with a "bang" but a "whimper".  I was so excited.  I wasn't being greedy, hoping for huge orders, really.  I was hoping that the hostess would get at least a qualifying workshop so that she would get the hostess rewards.  So, as we went into the weekend we had 10 people attending, including the hostess.  Then late Saturday I had a phone call...one cancellation.  Okay, 9 is still a healthy number.  And so Sunday came and with it, the workshop/party.  By 1:10 everyone was there minus two.  By 1:20 the hostess phoned the missing person (who was bringing a friend) and discovered that she was ill.  So that took away two people since the guest wasn't comfortable coming without her friend.  Fair enough.

That brought us down to 7 attending, including the hostess.  Still not the worst number of attendees.  And they were really enthusiastic.  Loved the make-and-takes!  Loved the snacks the hostess served!  There were laughs and giggles...everyone had a good time.

Then came the orders...or lack thereof.  Three people said they had enjoyed themselves and this really wasn't their thing and "good-bye...thanks for everything".  That left three people, plus the hostess.  Those three people did order, thank goodness for the hostess.  In the end, the hostess made an order large enough to bring the workshop/party up to the "rewards" level.  I was disappointed for her but she said it had been a great party and she would throw one again in a while.

Okay, maybe it's because I am still recovering from the mother of all colds and convalescence is bringing my spirits down, but I feel deflated.  I suppose this happens to all Demonstrators and they go on.  Right now I am feeling low, wondering when my next party or card club or anything might happen.  I've been advertising online on Kijiji, on the Buy-and-Sells, on Facebook.  I even put specially printed notes in all the mini-catalogues which read: "Say Yes! If you post a party with me before I ask at the end of this party, I will give you a $10 gift certificate for Stampin Up items to use at your party."  There were no takers and the silence when I asked about a possible workshop was profound.

So my party ended with a "whimper" in my mind.  Yes, I got through it.  Yes, I had compliments on the make-and-takes.  Yes, we had fun.  But it really didn't end with a "bang"...and I wanted one.

My next party is going to have a "bang"!