I had this great quote that I had written down and then I am pretty sure I saw my scribbled paper a day later and threw it in the trash. I do this with my grocery list all the time. The quote was basically saying that true hospitality is sharing your real self with others. Your REAL life. Not your perfect Pinterest, Facebook or Instagram life.
I have noticed that my closest relationships are with those I am my most real and vulnerable with. I am not saying that you share your most private thoughts with just anyone you meet but glimpses of the real you should shine through with anyone you speak to. I dont think that most of us lie on our social media pages we just edit the crap out of them. I am going to fix the boy some pancakes for breakfast this morning, I can easily snap a picture and post the pancakes and it look like something from a magazine. I am now the best mom on the planet. If you didnt fix your kid homemade pancakes with real maple syrup you are failing as a parent and human being. I could zoom out on my picture and show you my tiles that are popping off the counter and they have discontinued them and we have no idea what to replace them with right now so I throw a towel over that area when people come over but mostly I just say pretend you dont see that. You would also see the dirty dishes in the sink and a dog or two laying around on the kitchen floor because they are afraid that if they are not in the same room with me I may just disappear. We could open the fridge and see the science experiments I have growing in there. Those are not intentional by the way. I think you get my point in keeping it real.
I had two experiences with hospitality last week. One was going over to a friends house for dinner which was so much fun and one was having a friend stop by which was also so much fun. Going over to my friends Pennys house was easy. I didnt have to bring anything. She had appetizers of cheese, meats, crackers and nuts. For dinner we had risotto with chicken and asparagus in a cream sauce and for dessert a chocolate mouse with a berry compote and whipped cream. There was also wine and iced tea involved. Mr Ladybug had been invited but wasnt feeling great. I had the kids grab pizza for all of them and made sure to send him pics of what he was missing.
Then my friend Kelly stopped by to drop of some water kefir grains to me. There will be more posts on the kefir later. Kelly is in a season of life that I am thankfully done with. Her son had a music lesson so she dropped him off, ran to the store and then a quick stop at my house before going back to pick him up. I enjoyed being the taxi cab for many years but I do enjoy my kids taking themselves places and I can give them a list and money and never have to leave the house if I dont want to. So Kelly comes in and she needs to visit that powder room or should I say gas station bathroom. I did warn her that someone had just taken a shower and that it would be a sauna in there and probably messy. So she explains what to do with the kefir grains then we shared our kombucha with each other and chatted about a few things and she left.
I then went into the bathroom because it was on my to do list to clean anyway. I was horrified that I let her in there. The soap dispenser was about empty and it needs to be replaced because the pump is not pumping like it should, there was no hand towel for her to dry her hands and there were qtips and tissues all over the sink because I can not find the PERFECT trash can for that room so the sink is where people leave things. I forgot to mention that one of the dogs peed on one of the rugs. I immediately sent her a message apologizing and told her I was sorry we lived like wild animals. She was great and we laughed and I felt less terrible about it. I even took a pic 15 minutes after she left to prove that I do know what a powder room should look like.
Lets be honest sometimes thats what life is, MESSY. If I waited for my house or even my life to be perfect before I started sharing it with people it would never happen. We miss out on some great times when our thoughts are I will share my life with others when I get a bigger house. My house is less than 1100 square feet and 4 adults live here and we only have one bathroom. Another excuse I will practice hospitality when I have more time. Kelly had a busy errand day and she squeezed in time where she found it. I have met the nicest people and had the best conversation with others while waiting on my kids at soccer fields, dental appointments, band functions and many other places. It was nice before cell phones when we didnt have our heads down in our little world and noticed others around us.
Sometimes with think we have to have nicer things before we can have people over. I dont like new things, Well some things I like new but I love old things and I like to repurpose things so here is a picture of my couch which as you can see is an old day bed. Look at the hearts cut out in it. Luckily I can hide those.
I paid $30 for this couch about 8 years ago. It even came with the mattress which by the way I knew the person selling it and felt comfortable buying the mattress from. It even has a trundle underneath that when pulled out connects with the top and makes a king size bed that can sleep 3-4 girls. It was actually used a few weeks ago when our daughter had friends in for the weekend. I bought the grey comforter marked down at Walmart for $15. I just have pillows and other blankets on it and let me tell you we love this thing. Its so comfie and if you set on it at least one dog will want to snuggle with you sometimes all of them and the cat. If something gets spilled on it or a dog with muddy feet gets past us and heads straight for the couch we just pull everything off and wash it.
Another of our excuses for not having people over is it takes work. We dont have to have a three course meal like my friend Penny had. I think the last time she came over to my house we had pizza cooked in the smoker and made smores. Here is a quick and simple appetizer to have. You can serve it with wine or iced tea or even just plain water. Its not about your house or your culinary skills its about building relationships.
I found the pic online but cheese is always our easy go to quick appetizer. On the plate you see blackberries with brie, granny smith apples with sharp cheddar, anjou pears with gouda, grapes with fontina and peaches with goat cheese. Seriously how easy would that be to do? You dont even have to use the toothpicks if you dont want to, Just have the fruit and cheese cubed and on the same plate. Throw in some crackers and nuts and you have a party.
Whats your quickest and easiest entertainment menu? Its also okay if you say Pizza Hut.
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