It's not about the food. Right?
It's about connection, warmth, a smiling face nodding compassionately across the table.
It's about favourite jokes and embarrassing anecdotes and the occasional "yeah, I've been there, that's tough."
I mean, perfectly un-lumpy gravy and handmade biscuits and grandma's famous apple pie are all good, wonderful, beautiful things, but they aren't what most of us really, really long for.
So friends, believe me, take-out is okay.
Like the time we were tired and stressed out for our daughter's 5th birthday so we invited over an aunt and an uncle with a slew of presents and ordered pizza and a grocery store cake. Or the time we showed up to a friends house just moments after their marriage had taken a punch and we ordered Chinese food and talked and tried not to cry but cried just a little anyways.
Or the countless times we've invited people over after church or a parade or whatever and welcomed them to toys on the floor and laundry piled high and takeout. "So, um, we're just ordering pizza, but we'd love it if you'd come."
Because, oh-my-goodness friends, it isn't about the food.
Because if we impress people with our skills in the kitchen but never step out of our comfort zone and sit weak and weary beside them then we will always have people at arms length.
And because the glossy magazine spreads that show us how easy it is to pull off the perfect party are selling us something we don't need. We want authentic, deep, powerful, simple...not easy and perfect.
Because not every event is a freaking wedding and sometimes we need to lower the bar just a little.
Friends, take-out is okay.
This is day 9 in a series about simple hospitality. Click here to see more.
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Agreed! Amen Sister! I love this topic and am planning on writing about it as well! I love how simply you put things:) Glad to see ya back:) We are hosting a get together this Saturday and it will be SIMPLE- So we can focus on relationships instead of Pinterest Perfect
ReplyDelete"Not every event is a freaking wedding." lol. Kelly, recently discovered your blog and am enjoying your simple hospitality series. This is spot on.
ReplyDeleteI love the theme and ambition of this series :) getting take out pizza is one of my daughters favorite things. I always have to remind myself of that when I fret about the cost vs homemade pizza. You have hit on a great topic here. Keep it up :)
ReplyDeleteI love this idea! Some of the best times I've had with friends and loved ones are when we've decided to skip the stress and just order something in. There is something so freeing about just kicking back and relaxing, toss in some paper plates and clean up is a breeze too! :-) This is a fabulous series, I've been really enjoying seeing what you have to say each day.
ReplyDeleteOh, Kelly. Thank you. I needed this post so much!
ReplyDeleteThis is a hard one for me (hard to let go of the glossy magazine perfection idea :) ). Something to practice maybe.
ReplyDeleteKelly, I must say that I am absolutely loving this series! It really is the most simple and unperfect moments with friends that are the most memorable and meaningful. Some of our best times with friends are just sitting on the deck chatting and eating pizza.
ReplyDeleteActually, I'd go further. Takeout is better, because people know what to expect, and because they don't have to feel guilty that they can't cook like you can! I mean, potlucks are nice, too, but sometimes hosting a dinner (if you're either a really bad or really good cook) can put way too much emphasis on the food that you, um, made.
ReplyDeleteAll for takeout! It's a great equalizer!
THANK YOU!! I was debating on whether I could pull off inviting friends over for dinner this weekend. And now...take and bake pizzas and fellowship it is! Thanks for the reminder.
ReplyDeleteAll of the best time I had with friends involved take out...take out rules, it doesn't keep you away from your guests, it doesn't put pressure on you to make the best food ever, and it spares you the hassle of doing a big pile of dishes.
ReplyDeleteWe go out to a friend's weekly to play board games, whole group of us. Some weeks it's a potluck, some weeks it's takeaways, depends how the couple hosting it feel, but it's a never an issue, because it's just everyone catching up and sharing food, regardless of the source.
ReplyDelete