Jesus Christ and his disciples. The Wampanoag Native Americans and the pilgrims. Jeff Bezos’ wedding guests. You and your spouse, two Saturdays a month. Separated by thousands of years, cultures and fortunes, these groups appear to share nothing at all—except one universal act: the act of breaking bread.
I am certainly not equating the Last Supper with my Saturday night date (apologies to my wife), but I am drawing attention to the fact that special things happen when people share a meal. The “share” part of that sentence is particularly important. While you might be physically sharing food with others, what you truly share is your time—humanity’s most valuable resource. If the act of eating were simply about consuming the calories and nutrients needed for survival, the restaurant industry would collapse, and we’d all be eating military MREs. Sure, sometimes we choose to eat out for convenience, or because it presents a chance to partake in elevated cuisine beyond what we can make at home. But we all know that the real draw to sitting down to eat a meal with somebody else is that, for a few minutes, we have an excuse to enjoy a meaningful connection.
When you think about it, some of the most important events in our lives incorporate a meal. Weddings nearly always provide guests with dinner. Thanksgiving is a holiday where a meal is the star of the show. We take communion at church in remembrance of the most famous meal of all time. What do we do for people who are sick, newly minted parents, grieving for a loved one, or brand new on the block? We bring them a meal. When you get back from a trip, one of the first questions you hear is most likely—"How was the food?” The list could continue with one hundred more examples, but I’ve made my point. When a significant event happens, food is most likely present. A meal is so much more than a quick dopamine hit for your taste buds—it can be the anvil on which relationships are forged and strengthened.
So, if time is our most precious and finite resource, and a meal enjoyed with others fabricates a special connection due to that time being shared, should we not therefore make a conscious effort to recognize and cherish that significance? Starting about a year ago, every time I enter a restaurant—whether it’s with family, friends, or for work—I power my cell phone off and put it away once I sit down (or better yet, leave it in the truck). An act as simple as this made all the difference. My conversations became deeper, and the dining experience was heightened. If your cell phone isn’t a distraction, the challenge for you may be keeping your mind focused on the present instead of letting your thoughts drift away to work, your plans for tomorrow, or something else entirely unrelated. I’d encourage you to be intentional about the time spent with others while enjoying a meal. Do this once a day, 365 days a year, over the rest of your life, and watch the compounding effect it has on your relationships.
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