Prom—Destination or Preparation?

You know that quote used at every graduation or concluding ceremony, something like “It is not about the destination, it is rather the journey that makes an experience…”? Well, this applies very well to the prom process. The actual prom is not as involved and fun as the preparation.

The whole journey begins about three months in advance. You can’t wait until only a few weeks before the event to buy your prom dress, because all of the good ones will be taken, and you may end up wearing the same outfit as someone else (the horror!). The person asking you to prom needs time to think of the perfect way to ask you (or if you don’t have a date yet, you need time to find a back-up). The arrangements for pre-prom and after-prom need to be planned. The corsages and boutonnieres need to be ordered. The shoes need to be broken in. And your prom tickets need to be bought! Then there is the actual day of prom, which includes doing your hair or getting it done, polishing your nails and making your makeup look fabulous in every which way possible. This happens to be one of the busiest days of the year! (That is why it all needs to be planned out in advance.)

This year I did many things to prepare for my prom. Every sunny day that I was free, I made it my job to get to the beach to try to create that summery glow everyone talks about. I used Crest Whitening strips to whiten my teeth—which, by the way, worked incredibly well. I’ve tried other kinds of whitening techniques, but these particular strips worked so fast and made my teeth look whiter than they’ve ever looked! I kept the strips in two times a day for a half hour (maybe a littler longer just to make sure they did their job) while talking to a friend on the phone, going on Facebook or watching a movie.

One night I had them in late at night and I fell asleep with them still on my teeth. I had set my alarm so that after 45 minutes I would know to take them out. I woke up to take them out, and when I was done, it was completely dark in my hallway and room (because everyone was sleeping). I was walking back to my room from my bathroom and being basically asleep, I walked toward the stairs instead. When I thought I was stepping into my room, I actually fell down a whole flight of stairs. I ended up being just a bit bruised, left with no real injuries, thank God. I now know never to fall asleep with whitening strips in my mouth!

It felt funny when I spent so much time preparing for prom, when the actual event only lasted about three hours (not including pre-prom or after-prom). I had such a great time through all of the preparation, though, so overall, it really was the journey that made the experience what it was.