This weekend I am going to a gala. A gala. This will be the second gala I have attended since moving to South Dakota last summer. And I have another gala coming up in May! I actually do not remember ever attending a gala during my many years in Minnesota – perhaps it is just a South Dakota thing.
Actually, I don’t think it is a South Dakota thing. I think it is actually it has to do more with politics – doesn’t everything? You see, there are so few Democrats here in this deeply red state, that we have to hang together. (Actually, I am told there are more Democrats than I am aware of, but they tend to keep their political leanings to themselves). Anyway, when our tribe finds a cause, such as reproductive rights, we throw a gala to raise funds. In Minnesota, at least in the Twin Cities, nearly everyone is a Democrat, so there is no need to raise funds through a gala. So, here is the silver lining: because I am part of a very small tribe, I get invited to galas. Actually, I get invited to cough up some cash to attend a gala. And it fills me with JOY to do so.
So, what does one wear to a gala? Well, if you are like me, and haven’t dressed up for anything since the start of COVID, you wear very boring black pants and a sweater. My excuse was that it was double digit temps below zero outside, so who is going to wear a gown? In truth, I really had nothing gala-worthy to wear. No worries, many of us gray-haired ladies were equally dowdy. But not all.
So, for this upcoming event, “The South Dakota Democratic Party Winter Gala”, I went shopping. Shopping! Like in a store. I bought not one, but two fancy jackets. And yes, another pair of black pants, but dressy black pants, so it counts. I even bought some high heel shoes – well, a short heel, but a heel nonetheless.
Oh my, I am going to look stunning this weekend. I will look like I belong at this gala. I already know I belong with the people sitting at my table, whom I don’t know, but with whom I share many of the same beliefs, which is so gratifying. I know, I don’t need to agree with you politically to be your friend, but it is a breath of fresh air to be around a bunch of liberals. Just for an evening. There, I said it.
This week’s JOY: a gala. And just the right outfit for attending the gala. And a table full of Democrats.