mealtime

Over the past month since I've been home, I have had the immense pleasure of eating with friends again. When you're overseas it's nice sometimes to eat with people you don't know and try to make new friends; but there is something almost magical about eating with good friends whom you have a history with. In my humble opinion, there's really nothing much better than eating some good food and reminiscing or creating new memories with great friends. Since I've moved down to Florida, I have been extremely blessed to have been introduced to several friends who I would consider to be life-long friends at this point. Maybe life will interrupt us and some of them or I will move away, but I sincerely think they'll be the types of friends who I will stay in touch with or at the very least see at different times and be able to pick up where we left off. This has happened more times than I can count since I've been back from my trip. I was gone for 8 months and in a lot of ways it seems as though nothing's changed between my friends and I. Of course, countless things have taken place in the lives of my friends and within me during that time period, but we're able to pick up exactly where we left off.

Is it too far to say that perhaps there is a spiritual dimension to sharing food with one another? Jesus broke bread and gave it to His disciples instructing them to eat in remembrance of Him. Mealtimes are across every culture and are enjoyed in vastly different ways, but there seems to be something deeply moving during meals that I can't quite put my finger on. I absolutely love eating meals with friends, I get so much joy out of those times.

Lately, I've been trying to be better at planning my weeks in advance to either eat out with friends, eat at their place, or invite them over to my place. This past weekend I had the pleasure of having a young couple over with their 2 year old daughter and finally got to cook for someone else for a change. The spaghetti was a little too spicy for everyone's taste but my own but you live and learn and next time I'll tone down the spice for others. My previous few places I haven't really had a dining room to invite others to eat in but now that I'm living with Debbie she has 2 tables to eat at and told me that I can invite anyone over anytime.

My friends all call me a mooch which might be true but the main reason I invite myself over for dinner is it's just an excuse to get together and share in each other's presence. Ever since high school I've been a bit of a social butterfly. That has calmed down quite a bit but if you want to see me enjoying myself come alongside me during a meal with my friends and you'll see me at my happiest. Thankfully, my friends are really accommodating and usually don't cook beef or pork when I'm over since I try not to eat those meats too often.

I have shared meals with people all over the world, and nothing beats sharing it with friends. Couchsurfers hold a special place in my heart, but even they don't compare to friends whom you have a history with. Couchsurfers are usually instantaneously friends but they lack a history that I have with my friends that I've had for a while. Maybe there could be a way that I could introduce more of my friends to couchsurfers and vice versa; get some of the fear out of the way. What if we all shared a meal together? Food has a way of breaking down barriers between people; it's hard to be angry or put off with someone if you're both enjoying delicious, flavorful food.

Well, it's dinner time so I need to call someone and share a meal with them. Bye for now.