WTF Wednesday.

WTF Wednesday. Feather Boa. Poor Decisions.

There are many reasons I should not be trusted with directions.

This is one of them.

A few years ago, I was invited to one of my male bestie’s birthday dinner parties at his house.

His wife is also my bestie. Important detail.

I went to dinner with another friend beforehand, and he kindly offered to drop me off.

Now.

I am directionally challenged.

And occasionally detail deficient.

First, I sent him to my friend’s OLD neighborhood.

To be fair, the new neighborhood is just down the road.

We correct course.

We arrive in the correct neighborhood.

But in my head, the party is at the clubhouse.

It was not.

It was at their house.

So I get dropped at the clubhouse.

I walk in.

There’s a small group of women. Balloons. Decorations.

I pause.

I do not recognize a single one of them.

It is all women.

I do not see my bestie, or his wife.

There is a small voice in my head whispering:

“This doesn’t feel right.”

I ignore it.

Instead, I say cheerfully:

“Hey! Where is everyone?”

Someone says, “Maybe downstairs?”

There is a feather boa.

I pick it up.

I put it on.

I may or may not have removed it from someone else.

The details are fuzzy.

I am now standing in the wrong party, wearing someone else’s feather boa like I am headlining a Vegas residency.

Then I ask:

“Wait… where’s bestie one and bestie two?”

The women look at me.

“Who?”

That was the moment. An actual WTF moment.

I had not only crashed someone else’s party.

I had accessorized.

So I call my bestie's wife.

“Umm. I think I’ve made a terrible mistake.”

She says:

“Stay there. I’m coming to get you. I do not trust you to find the house on foot.”

So I stand outside. In the snow.

I gave the feather boa back to the women.

And I can hear them inside laughing.

Like — really laughing.

Honestly? I think I was the best entertainment they had all night.

Had I had drinks at dinner beforehand?

Yes.

Would this have happened anyway?

Also yes.

When I finally burst into the actual birthday party — almost everyone was gone — laughing so hard I could barely breathe, my besties were not surprised.

Their guests, many of whom I did not know, were nodding politely like:

“Ah. So this is Stephanie.”

We still call it a “classic Stephanie” moment.

And here’s the part I think about now.

There was a moment — before the feather boa — when I knew something wasn’t right.

I felt it.

But instead of pausing, I powered forward confidently.

Leadership can look like that too.

Walking into a situation. Sensing something is off. And pushing ahead anyway because you don’t want to look unsure.

Sometimes the consequence is just snow and a feather boa.

Sometimes it’s bigger.

The ability to pause. Reassess. Call someone and say, “I think I’ve made a mistake.”

That’s not weakness.

That’s wisdom.

Also — if you ever find yourself at the wrong party wearing someone else’s accessories?

Own it. Laugh. Call for help.

And maybe double-check the address before you go. 😬😂

~Steph