Regular Dinners with Neighbors

This year I’ve been focusing on cultivating relationships. It’s been hard for me these past several years (well, nearly six years, if I’m being honest) because of the whirlwind of parenting two children within 28 months of each other + launching a start-up non-profit organization + trying to make time for exercise + trying to be a good partner. I’ve honestly let relationships beyond my immediate circle fall by the wayside.

We’ve been doing regular Saturday Suppers for a while now (this month will be our 14th!). While I love those and hope to continue doing them, I also wanted to pursue more intimate opportunities for connection. Hence the idea for a monthly dinner with a particular set of neighbors was born.

I reached out to our friends/neighbors at the beginning of the year and asked them if they were interested in getting their family (two children + two adults) together with our family (two children + two adults) every month for dinner from approximately 5pm-6:15pm, alternating houses.

They were up for the idea! Since I was in Melbourne for the entire month of January, we started in February. I went ahead and set a recurring invite for the entire year, so that all the dates were scheduled ahead of time.

We met at our house in February and then their house in March. I intentionally hosted first so I could set a low bar: I ordered Domino’s Pizza, made a salad out of my new favorite kit, and made brownies out of a box. I served water and whatever alcohol we had left from our last Saturday Supper. Oh, I also did not clean (or even pick-up) our house.

They hosted us in March, and it was amazing to see how the month flew by. If the dates weren’t set in advance, it would be easy to let several months go by without reaching out to schedule something. They followed suit with Domino’s, salad, and break-and-bake cookies (this brand, but pre-made dough rather than a mix).

I’m so happy to have this new little ritual in our lives!