comings and goings

In retrospect, the last two days have been such good days. I mean that in the simplest of ways really as they were normal and included things like work and laundry, waking up in the middle of the night several times (insomnia already!?) and forcing myself to do something active.

What made them great though were the people I shared them with. Last night playing Mexican train dominoes over pizza & ice cream with hot fudge with two girl friends, this morning pancakes and coffee with Allison in the quiet of her kitchen, and tonight hosting friends with Ry for a simple meal of chicken tacos with lots of little bowls, my favorite kind of meal. I feel like I am starting to recognize the ways in which my efforts to make a quieter life for myself are paying off and the value of making choices I feel good about in regards to time spent with people and time spent alone. It seems like when life was barreling forward at higher speeds, I was able to see the blessings but not soak them in as freely as nights like these. I was always thinking of what was coming next and wasn't able to look backwards at the everyday moments that make up something that matters.

So tonight, what matters to me is that Katie and I sat at the table and got real, about things we are learning and things we are struggling to learn. And it matters that as I type, Ryan is sitting in the other room, sharing our home with a friend like we haven't in a while. I'm learning, again, that hospitality is less about our dishes and menus and more about allowing people to have space in our homes, to feel like they are welcome here and that they have an invitation to be where they are.
So I guess what I am trying to say is that the last two days, I was on the receiving end and the giving end and thankful for both.