P R O M (2017)

*Throwback*

I never had a prom.

I wanted a prom, I bought my dress for prom, (a red dress, tight fitting, I could already see myself walking down “the aisles”, into the festivity, radiant + happily graduated) but I never had a prom.

I, as well as my entire class, was a part of the organization committee for our senior prom.

To raise funds for it, we organized our school’s yearly Halloween party, which we funded as well..

We all pitched in the required 10,000 francs to buy supplies, make decorations, hire a DJ, all things necessary for a legendary Halloween lituation.

We raised so much with that party!

It was all meant to go to our prom proceeds, but at the very last minute, we were told that we would not be having a prom.

Whatever reason we were given was so insignificant I cannot remember, it wasn’t enough to justify all our hard work, our anticipation, the excitement, the eventual disappointment.

Our original monetary investment was never refunded, and our gains from the party weren’t either.

We simply just didn’t have a prom…

Fast forward to 2024, and I’m on the phone with a friend, and they are telling me that half of our class actually did have a prom.. we just weren’t invited.

Prom did happen, I just wasn’t there. My friends and I weren’t there, because we didn’t know about it. And that part was intentional.

My 17 year old heart would have been crushed, so I’m glad I didn’t find out.

My 24 year old heart was LIVID.

Everybody deserves to have a prom.

Everybody deserves to celebrate their completion of some of the most intense years of one’s life, having completed high school and survived hormonal surges and temperament evolvements that couldn’t be predicted, or truly harnessed, really.

It was definitely life changing to find out almost 7 years later that the prom I so anticipated, did happen but just without me.

By life changing I mean, perspective was given.

Life isn’t about the haves and have nots.

It’s about those who lead with heart, and then there is the heartless.

The heartless often win this game.

But who’s to say that having a heart doesn’t get you anywhere?

Hey. We all get to choose.