Grace often likes to make a special solstice dinner for our family. It’s just the four of us, which isn’t unique as we eat dinner together most evenings. What makes it special is the extra effort it takes to do something out of the ordinary. So really, this post is a friendly PSA to do the special things. Use your fine china for a regular dinner, mess up all the dishes for an extraordinary meal, take the time to craft something by hand, use linen napkins even though it means you will have to iron them.
I feel that our world has gotten a little too used to convenience and ease. In an age where you can order food/books/batteries/anything and everything to your door without even making a phone call I want to make an appeal to create moments of magic where you can.
This year it was a hot and humid day with a threat of rain and I thought a few times how much easier it would be to have the meal inside, close to the kitchen, and in air conditioning! But we persevered and lugged out linens, our cabbage plates and a flower arrangement made from the garden. Everyone changed into slightly nicer clothes and we gathered in the garden for appetizers of Scallop Crudo and Blueberry and Radish Crostini.
As we poured our drinks and started to dig in, the raindrops began and we quickly moved into the greenhouse! As we stood huddled in the greenhouse, watching the linens, dishware and flowers get soaking wet, we laughed about the absurdity of it. That’s what we will probably all remember, the laughing and the silliness of it, but that, that’s the magic. The unexpected moments we wouldn’t have gotten if we hadn’t gone ahead and done the thing.
It eventually stopped raining and we brought out a towel to dry off the seats and the plates and proceeded to eat the rest of the meal (a trio of garden fresh pizzas and blueberry lavender ice cream). We were even treated to a faint rainbow!
There is certainly a time and a place for ease but I also think that there is something to doing things slowly and with intention. For me, these are the things that build a beautiful life full of substance and memories worth holding on to.
