by Honour Sollars

As you wobble down the stairs of Goppert Center in the shoes that you know you will never get used to, a twinge of apprehension enters your body. You smile nervously at your date hoping that the night you have devoted countless hours of planning won’t disappoint. You look down at your white corsage, and think “This is it…It’s finally arrived”. The feeling of uneasiness starts to set in when you near the end of the stairs. With the twinkling of lights above, you are immediately greeted by all of your friends. While most look excited, others have angst written all over their faces.

Although this will be my first year attending Teresian I have already experienced some of the emotions beforehand. To be honest, when I think about Teresian, I want to be like my friends who are excited however I am one of those who finds the whole situation nerve racking.

For weeks before the dance, the mere whisper of the word “Teresian” results in an eruption of conversation throughout the classroom. I hear giggling over how each girl plans to ask her date to Teresian, discussions about the “perfect” dress, and debates over whether limousines or private transportation in the family’s nicest automobile is the way to go. With all of these decisions there seems to be at least some stress which accompanies the preparation regardless of the one factor that almost every girl has preparing for the dance.

Most of the stress resides on the pressure of being in charge of ALL the planning. Attending an all-girls school, we are expected to do everything.

First, you have to ask the date. About a million thoughts pop into your head.

“Who should I ask?”

“How should I ask him?”

“I’m going to look SO stupid.”

The list goes on and on.

Then, comes the dress shopping. Three different stores, and countless dresses have been tried on. You’re physically and mentally exhausted because nothing seems to fit. Sigh… short girl problems. “Ding. Ding. Ding” is the sound of the group chat messages on your phone. Messages like, “Where are we going to eat before the dance?” and “Should we get a limo? Who is going to set that up?” appear on your screen.

To say the pressure is stressful is an understatement.

However, Teresian is a night for memory making, whether it’s good or bad. It has the very potential to become one of the best memories a person has at STA. I know years from now I won’t remember all the stress this dance is already putting me through. Instead, I’ll remember how I asked my date, I’ll remember getting ready with all my friends, and I’ll remember how much fun I might have. Years later the thought of how nervous I was or how much planning I put into the dance won’t even phase me. Instead, I’ll remember the positive elements.

If you think about it, psyching yourself out just makes this experience less enjoyable. Teresian is about having fun, not creating more stress.

And we do NOT need any more stress.

We shouldn’t be worrying about all the little things. And we don’t need to make everything perfect. We should just relax. Exterminating the stress attached to the dance will make it a better night overall. But really, what is the worst that can happen? Sure, you are probably thinking about a million things that could go wrong right now. However, years later you will look back at the “glory days” and laugh at all the things that once made you a nervous wreck.

The point is, we don’t need to make Teresian or any other dance perfect. We should focus on living in the moment and hope for the best. Ultimately, we determine the end result of the night. We have as much fun as we let ourselves.