Let’s Do Something Tuesdays
While living without a home to host, my heart ached for the lingering-around-the-table talks and the washing-the-dishes confessions that only hosting in your home can bring. Some of my greatest memories in my early 20’s are not necessarily the hours spent out on the town or even traveling. They glow orange in my mind, reminding me of lamp-lit apartments filled with friends from different contexts of my life. The Galentines brunches and the spontaneous movie nights. Not to say I don’t have cozy memories in strangers’ and friends homes, or even that I don’t cherish the adventures of gallivanting in my solo travels.
But in the wake of cramped ship cabins and hotel rooms, I couldn’t wait to bring friends around a kitchen table again. I couldn’t stop pinning photos of idyllic summer nights, tablescapes of empty wine glasses, and candlelit conversations. So, as I settled into a little house again, I was on the hunt for a large table, one that could fit more people than my dining room should.
Once I was on the quest, it was like fate, and an acquaintance posted on Instagram a listing of an 8-foot wood table for OBO. I texted my friends, wondering if this table would fit in the little dining room… our 14-foot dining room, with through-traffic doorways on 3 of 4 walls. My friend Kylie brought all her insane optimism and agreed to pick up this table that same weekend (and assured me we would make it fit and it would be perfect.)
Well, that bitch was HEAVY, and someone how Kylie and I got it from the street, up my lawn-hill, to my doorway. Thankfully my neighbor saw our little selves sweating and swear with a last-supper-style table stuck through the front door. She galloped across the street and up my lawn, coming to the rescue. The three of us managed to get it in place, without knocking the disco ball in the archway between rooms.
This table was my muse. The art? As many dinner parties as I could get. I didn’t know that it was my last summer in Memphis, but I knew it was an important summer.
So the Let’s Do Something Tuesdays was born, and the canva invites were made. While visiting friends in Rhode Island, they taught me to make Pozele. I knew it would be on the menu. We had a poetry reading night, a movie night, a Christmas in July, and so many other amazing nights. I’m so thankful for these cozy memories. I’m also thankful for the learning experience of hosting, feeding, and entertaining between 6-20 people each week. What an amazing summer!
