We haven’t had a community dinner in a while, but this past week a friend and I got together to make some dinner. And what’s better than a sushi picnic, right? :) There are so many reasons this was great

1. Picnics are always great.

2. We got to hang out while preparing food.

3. Everything fit into her dietary needs.

4. It was WAY less expensive than buying sushi out.

5. Sushi is delicious

6. AND I got to spend time with a friend I haven’t talked to in a while.

All around a great evening; complete with a shot glass of soy sauce…used for dipping :)

Yes. An epiphany.

My schoolwork, my job, and my comfort zone have cornered me into a life of routine. It rarely changes–go to class, go to work, and pour fun into monotony whenever possible. It’s not an unhappy circumstance, it’s just…you know…it isn’t exactly setting the world on fire. Well sure, I know what to expect most days, but where do I leave room for unfamiliar territory? I believe strongly that we learn most about ourselves when we enter uncomfortable situations, so how can we grow unless we take a risk?

Last night as a “risk” stretches the term, but I found myself in a room full of unknown people, people I knew nothing about, people who came for a home-cooked meal and good company. They existed in small pockets of conversation, as some came in pairs and threesomes. I’ll be honest, I get nervous sometimes in talking to new people. Who doesn’t? But we all shared in common a yearning for laughter, genuine interpersonal connection, and of course, an amazing meal. How could we lose? That very motivation behind our presence carried us to build new relationships, and I barely made it out in time for some studying before bed. I could have mingled until dawn.

So how come something like this only exists once in a week, sometimes not even as frequent? That’s a fantastic question. I’d do it every day if I could. But maybe that’s entirely possible. Who’s to say? What’s to stop a large group from coming together regularly simply to hang out over great food? Sounds easy, right?

I suppose it could be…