the art of groovy hospitality

Over the years I’ve lived alone and had roommates at various times. One thing I’ve always liked about living with new people is you get a different perspective on living this thing called life. For example, from my old roommate CoCo I learned an appreciation for listening to NPR in the morning. Kathy taught me the value of sitting around on Sunday morning drinking coffee and reading the paper (best experienced while your just washed hair is wrapped in a towel). I can’t really imagine my life now without either of those two habits.

My Sister housemates here at my weekend groovy sister pad have taught me the value of hospitality. There are always “extra” people here. They’re not even really guests, because if you’re here, you are part of the house. At Christmas & Thanksgiving we had at least 25 people at dinner. The house seems to have a way of magically expanding to meet the needs of those present. Laughter, warmth & good food are always on the menu here.

Last night I had the groovy sister pad to myself for the first time ever as the rest of the house left for their annual vacation. (I’ll be spending my vacation clearing out my apartment in Portland!). I decided to have Chero (the other almost-Novice from the province) and Vicky (an almost-Associate) over for dinner. It wasn’t until I had dinner almost ready, the table set and music playing that I realized …. I had picked up the habit of groovy sister hospitality! Originally we had planned to go out to dinner, but I decided I wanted to cook and invite them into this special space. I’ve had dinner parties in my day, but I think I’ve learned the fine art of hospitality spending time here with this great group of women.

We had a great time. My Moroccan Chicken turned out well, but the company and conversation was even better. I even got a super cool birthday present from Vicky. It’s her own creation … a tote bag that says “Groovy Sisters” in Chinese! How cool is that.

Well, I should get going. My mentor Julie is coming over in a bit for a visit, and then I’ll be driving back to Portland.

Peace Out
Susan