Friends ‘n Sharing

Saturday, January 19, 2019

Last evening, I paused for a moment during dinner in order to capture my meal before it disappeared. This was a thoughtful dinner combining fresh salmon, rice and mixed veggies with naan bread. These foods were a perfect backdrop to several similar-minded folks sharing their personal experiences, observations, and opinions. Meanwhile outside, the weather did its own thing with an ongoing mix of drizzle and snow that didn’t diminish the blaze of a wood fire that heated our space.

This occurred at the home of nearby neighbors on one of those evenings when a weather pattern makes one pause and rethink the wisdom of venturing outside. But my travel distance would be short, and as it turned out, the event was fun and in an evening well-worth having drawn me out despite inclement weather.

To me, there’s little more satisfying than spending time with others and talking. I mean really talking. This happens among folks who are mature in their thinking and comfortably may exchange personal experiences and thoughts. A pièce de résistance is that they understand how to listen. The best exchanges occur when people exchanging ideas and opinions needn’t worry about someone becoming entrapped by a personal conflict that disrupts the balance and flow.

Last night, our kind and considerate hosts allowed themselves and their guests to really talk. We discussed who we are and how we became so, and some associated perceptions, for example, about the future of Bend, the progress of America, and how it seems that science and art go together hand-in-glove.

I arrived home with a gift from my neighbors, a ceramic mug filled with chocolates. Thankfully, my dogs (they’d waited inside the house!) were warm, happy, and hadn’t destroyed anything. I paused to enjoy a cup of coffee and some chocolates, managing by the way to catch an excellent PBS documentary on the life of American Playwright, Lorraine Hansberry.

The whole evening was pleasant and satisfying.

Dear Readers, enjoy your day, and learn something new and interesting, Diana.