Have you noticed how quickly life flies by? We get wrapped up in any number of things… family, careers, activities, etc., etc., etc. These competing priorities often make it difficult to take time to stay connected to friends who have been in our lives for, well… forever!
About 10 years ago, one of my favorite local restaurants, Spin! Neapolitan Pizza, ran a special promotion in partnership with a wine distributor. For $25 per person, groups could come in for a four course food and wine pairing experience. It was a deal too good to pass up! So, Marc and I, along with three other couples, signed up. We had a blast that evening! Delicious food, delicious wine, delicious conversation and laughter with long-time, important friends, who we think of as family. In fact, it was so fun, we ended up starting a little “dinner and wine club” whereby we’d get together at one another’s homes over the years for similar food and wine pairing meals.
From the start, we joked that one day, we’d take the show on the road and enjoy a weekend in Napa Valley together. Well, you know how busy life gets… I, for one, was not convinced our someday in Napa would ever come to fruition. Low and behold, we finally did it and spent a long weekend reconnecting with one another. It was phenomenal!
Throughout the weekend, we laughed – A LOT – we talked about everything from Cabernets to kids to professional pursuits to long-term aspirations. We laughed some more. We bonded over our hometown Kansas City Royals (in fact, on Friday night, we worried we’d get kicked out of a restaurant when our whole table spontaneously erupted in shrieks and cheers and high fives and hugs and revelry at the Royals’ triumph over the Toronto Blue Jays to clinch a spot in the World Series… we’d been watching the game under the table!). We laughed more still.
Gosh. It felt good. It was so nice to get away, with wonderful people, creating fun and lasting memories. Indeed, life gets busy… and it goes too quickly. It’s really important to take time to stay connected with people who matter to you. Do it!
Do you have a group of friends who get together on a semi-regular basis? If not, consider gathering a few people together for an evening out. If so, consider a long weekend away with one another. It will give you a chance to reminisce about years gone by, to create a few new memories, to establish some traditions as a collective that will be the fodder for laughter and conversations for years to come.
I’d love to hear about ways you and your friends stay connected. Please take a moment to share at CoffeeLunchCoffee.com.
P.S. – Irrespective of your baseball affiliations, there is still some time to get your friends together to celebrate America’s favorite pastime and watch two incredibly fun teams duke it out in the World Series! (Go Royals!)
One day, 15 years ago, my daughter and I met a family in the park. They had just moved from CA. They had us over for dinner and boy, could they cook!! We decided to start a dinner club. They invited a couple and we invited a couple. We rotate: 1 couple does Apps, 1 hosts and does Entree and 1 does dessert. The 4th gets a night off (they hosted previously). We never go out to dinner, because the food and wine are so delicious. We push ourselves to do something special. Once, for our turn, I made a clambake and flew everything in from Boston. My name plates had made up preppy names, we all dressed in madras and there was sand everywhere! We’ve all been through a lot together: job losses, cancer, parents passing, divorce and remarriage (he got the dinner club), milestones, joys and blessings. It’s hard to schedule sometimes, but we find a way to make time. Cheers!