My First Dinner Party

Tonight I hosted a quiet little dinner party at my place. I introduced new friends to other new friends and they got along beautifully! We chatted happily until late in the evening, and afterward I thought, "that was a really lovely night."

And then I realized, this was the first dinner party I've ever hosted in my life.

I was a lonely kid growing up. I was raised by a single dad and I can't remember one single time that he had guests over over dinner. Not one.

In the past, the thought of throwing a dinner party was not only foreign, but also scary. What if I burned a dish or broke something or played the wrong music? What if these people I called friends then decided I wasn't worth it? What if one simple dinner party caused the downfall of my entire social life? 😂

I don't know when I changed, or how. I only know that shortly after arriving in Austin, I told two new friends that I was going to cook them dinner. It grew organically from there.

And guess what? I vastly under-salted the zucchini salad, I cut myself in front of my guests, and my roommate's dog kept licking my friend Matt's leg while we ate. Whatever! I think I could have dropped the whole roast chicken and bottle of wine onto the floor and just shrugged and laughed and suggested we go out instead.

It can be really hard to see how much we grow as people, because it happens slowly, day after day. But progress is often found in the little things, like a cozy dinner party, or a general demeanor while on on a date, or interactions with family.

Look for the little things. They're bigger than you might give them credit for.