Tuesday, June 22, 2021

“Hospitality – the friendly and generous reception and entertainment of guests, visitors, or strangers.” – Google

This podcast episode was the inspiration for this post. Well, current life is the inspiration for this post, too! People are ready to see other people!

I am pretty new to The Lazy Genius and her podcast. I have read her book and now I listen to some of her episodes. What she says makes a lot of sense. I am a huge fan of simplifying your life where and when you can!

But, today let’s talk about hospitality. What a difference a year makes, right? We are gathering again! We aren’t questioning every.little.decision anymore. Last year caused us to be creative, though, and that can’t be all bad. Let’s not forget what we learned last summer!

We desperately need human connection. That is what hospitality is about to me. Even my introverted husband enjoys being around people, even if he won’t always admit it.

Here are a few reminders:

-It’s o.k. to just have people in your outdoor spaces.

-It’s o.k. to just have one or two people over at a time.

-It’s o.k. to not cook. You can do pitch-ins or potlucks, “bring your favorite summer side dish”, etc. You can simply order pizza, bbq, Mexican, Chinese, and the list goes on. Make sure to ask dietary restrictions.

-It’s o.k. to NOT serve a meal. Have people over for coffee, a cocktail, a charcuterie board, donuts, the list goes on.

-It’s o.k. to put an end time on your “hang”. “Want to come over from 4-6 before I have to make dinner?”

-It’s o.k. to not entertain at your home. Here are a few ideas:

have someone meet you at your swim club

have someone meet you at a park, splash pad, zoo

have someone with kids the same age come over for sprinkler, water gun play in the yard while the moms chat

have someone meet you at a coffee shop

meet up for a walk

Once you start thinking about places you could meet, you will come up with a long list, I think.

My friend has a book club that works a bit differently. They all talk about whatever they happen to be reading at the moment; they don’t read the same book and discuss like a traditional book club would. This summer they are meeting at a pool at 9:00 a.m. on Sundays. I thought that was creative!

How can you show hospitality if you aren’t in your own home? Simply pay for their coffee, pay the guest fee for the pool (or offer), or if you are on a tight budget, choose one of the free options in your town.

Also, here is the blog post I wrote in 2018 about entertaining; I’m going to take some notes myself!

What ideas do you have to add to this? I have had readers tell me they are intimidated by showing hospitality in their home. I say start small and don’t stress out. Start with just one person for a small amount of time. Coffee and muffins or lemonade and cookies would be a great first attempt.

Amy