Happiness + Supper Club
I’m 37. I’m not sure if that’s young or old. Maybe it is in between, I can’t quite put a feeling around it. However, 37 would have been “old” to my 20-something-self and 37 will be young to my (hopefully) 60 lovely years. Truth is: I can’t put a feeling on what it’s like to be 37, but I can say this:
I crave people. I crave community. I crave rich, deep relationships. I crave friends that want something more from this life than a bigger house and fancier things. Although, I am quite the fancy girl, I know that my Eloise dreams are fun, but simply aren’t fulfilling.
People and purpose – those things – those pursuits are worthy of my time.
So, about a year ago, I started a supper club. I invited a few people over around my table. I spent time thinking through the menu, analyzing what would go well with what and how could I serve my friends. Turns out we laughed so hard that night. We drank good wine. We asked good questions and people felt seen, known, loved.
Life felt so good around that table.
This weekend I hosted my same group of friends around our table. I spent the week thinking about what we should eat and what experience I wanted to create. It brought me so much happiness gathering a menu, writing my lists, walking up and down aisles of grocery stores. Because we want happiness, but happiness comes when we give ourselves away. Happiness is when we open our doors to others. Happiness is when we share our lives.
As I started chopping gorgeous white peaches for a burrata board and whisking eggs with sugar for lemon bars, I smiled thinking about my friends. I smiled thinking about God. I smiled thinking about how He sent His son Jesus to be with us. What kind of God does that? Sends His son to sit at tables with mere mortals?
A good one.
Last night as I rubbed the sides of my face from laughing so hard, I paused and took a deep breath. 37-year-old Whitney, happy at the table, because sharing life with others and God is a life well-lived. 37-year-old Whitney is sure of that.
SUPPER CLUB MENU
Simple meat and cheese board
Melon + prosciutto + mozzarella bits with balsamic glaze
Burrata board lettuce-free salad
Half-Baked Harvest Roasted tomato pasta
Ciabatta bread
Asparagus
Pioneer Woman’s Lemon Bars