Celebrating Community & Compassion

Last night at one of Manhattan’s perpetually chic pizzatecas, I joined 11 other women around a large table filled with food, wine and conversation. From appearances, one would never guess the economy is in transition. Sparkling eyes, shiny summer colors, and laughter everywhere, it was a timeless moment of women gathering together for a break in the midst of busy lives. Thinking about what made the evening special, compassion transformed "dinner" into a moment of community and celebration.

First, Gigi (pictured here) is the organizer and unofficial hostess. The way she really showed her leadership was in her quiet consideration and generosity. Knowing many of us are self-employed, underemployed, or unemployed, she picked a place with a prix fixe option to help us manage expenses. Then, a cracker-jack surprise: she recycled castoffs from her media job that were bound for the trash (DVDs from last year) into a future night of chick-flick paradise by putting one DVD at each place setting.

The new mother of the group might have saved herself $50 in babysitting by staying home. What a loss her absence would have been. By showing up baby in tow, she did all of us a great favor. Around a table full of loving arms, that amazingly relaxed and responsive babe gave us all such joy as we passed her woman to woman and practiced our cooing, bouncing and cradling. The only cries heard were those of our delight in her presence. And mom benefited as well. Like many new moms at the limit with babytalk, the night allowed her to practice her womantalk discussing non-mom things such as work and world issues.

Leaner wallets meant leaner ordering. In quiet pairs, some of us split salads and entrees, sharing desserts and passing bites around. The United States may be famous for oversized portions and overweight bodies, but if the rest of the country is like this group we may soon be getting our plates and waistlines under control.

When the bill came, again compassion ruled. We split the bill evenly among the 12 of us, although one of the better-compensated among us insisted on paying for the wine fully herself. This act of generosity was accepted with such gratitude and grace by the rest of us – and without the fuss or ego-blustering that often goes with picking up the tab.

The celebration? Life, being together, and that even in the midst of transitions, it all continues and is made better with good company and compassion. Wherever you are, get together with the people you love. Whether it’s a potluck dinner or franks on a grill, food becomes a feast when shared with friends and a little goes a long way towards nourishing our hearts. By turning towards one another and taking a moment to simply enjoy each other, we remember that no matter what, life is for living.

Be well,

Tevis