There is nothing like enjoying a good meal with good people. With friends and family alike, laughter and love circulate around the table as the dishes do. However, what we’ve learned in the age of the Coronavirus is that what seemed like such a simple enjoyment not so long ago is actually quite the privilege.
Who could’ve known in 2020 how rare and special it would become to invite someone into your home to share a meal?
Rare and special because inviting them in means knowingly exposing your sacred space to another individual and everything that he/she is carrying with them. Now, as we Southerners know, if they’ve got good manners, that something they’re carrying with them is a dish or a bottle of wine, but often times it’s not. Sometimes, depending on the company, it’s just germs and a bad attitude.
Let me be clear, I am sick of Covid-19. I am ready to go back to life as we used to know it. However, I wouldn’t trade the clarity I’ve received during this time for anything. I’ve learned a lot about myself and I’ve certainly learned a lot about others.
I have realized that I have friends who have poured as richly into my life as I hope I have poured into theirs. Thank you for bringing something to the table.
Unfortunately, I’ve also realized that there are others who only showed up with their problems and burdens in hand; ate their fill of my patience, energy, kindness, etc. and left without the slightest concern about my wellbeing, thoughts, or feelings.
I can’t afford these types of associations, these types of “friends”.
You can’t either.
Protect your sacred space. Fill it with the things and people who add richness and value to your life. If there is nothing else that we’ve learned this year, it is that life is precious and short. Do not waste energy by pouring it into people who constantly take and never give because it will leave them full and you empty.
Everyone deserves to eat.
But not everyone deserves a seat at your table.
