This will be quick, as I am in the middle of trying to get ready to head to the grocery store and start dinner before we have some friends over!
I am currently thinking about hospitality. It is something John and I really want to be good at but usually find ourselves slacking in this area. And, I would say it is my fault that we aren't more gracious with our home and our time. Not because I don't love having people over, but because I put too much pressure on myself for everything to be "perfect."
So today, as I was chatting with a friend online, I invited her and her boyfriend over for dinner and some Wii leaving myself not a whole lot of time to get ready for them to come over. My apartment is a mess, and I haven't been to the grocery store yet. However, I am slowly starting to realize that having people means you just have to extend an invitation or it won't ever get done!
This summer, while at a small group, I said I thought hospitality was one of my strengths. Now that I think about it though, I don't think it is something I do as a natural rhythm of my life. I want that to change. I do love having people over and entertaining, but entertaining certainly isn't the same as hospitality.
What about you? Is hospitality a strength of yours? If so, please share your secret in the comment section... I would love some advice in this area! As for me, I'm off to get dinner ready!
2 comments:
Hi again, just a few of my thoughts. I think you need to make it easy on yourself...serve something that isn't labor intensive esp. after guest arrive...you want to be able to visit and not be stuck in the kitchen. It's nice to visit a bit over drinks and snacks too. A clean house is also nice, but I don't think your guests will care much as long as the bathroom is clean. And perhaps you could designate one night of the week to "having guests over" so that you'll have your house and groceries prepared ahead of time...we found inviting people over just before small group was nice...had to have the house clean anyways :). Then they were already there! Anyways, we always enjoyed your hospitality and yummy food, so I'm sure your friends will too. Talk to you soon!
You are right. I usually try to do too many things instead of just focusing on a couple things that I have done before. I love watching Barefoot Contessa, because she seems to focus on a couple of really delicious looking dishes and then enjoys time with her company.
And yes, a clean bathroom is a must. I think I need to get into more of a cleaning routine so that if people just pop over then I know that everything is already clean.
I want to make hospitality something that occurs naturally, and not something that I feel like I have to go out of my way to do. In time, I guess. :)
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