Which would you rather be, a guest or a host?
I'd rather be the host. There is quite possibly nothing more satisfying than to see an expression of unadulterated joy on someone's face and to know that you were a part of it. Sometimes I stop and think about how much happiness we create (or how many hangovers we create)! What I do is sort of crazy! We have a fundamental obligation as hosts to see to the well being of your guests. It starts with their physical comfort like temperature, surfaces, hunger, thirst but you have a responsibility to their emotional well-being and that means you have to think about your guest. What do they need in addition to a drink in their hand? Are they shy but interested in Russian literature and you have a very gregarious and outgoing comparative literature professor who speaks Russian. Think about how you put people together. And then duck behind the curtain and watch it unfold!
