A few weeks ago, I invited some girlfriends to come over for Saturday breakfast. I’ve been so wrapped up lately in work, and traveling for work, and playing with Baby Eddie and listening to his new words (“Eddie” and “happy” are new favorites), and trying to spend time with my husband, and my friendships have taken a backseat.
I hate that.
My mother is the queen of long-lasting friendships. She has a vast and varied circle of friends and she always has someone coming over for dinner, staying with her, spending the weekend with her at the cottage. She writes letters to her friends, she hosts holiday parties for them, she gives Christmas presents and birthday presents and drives to other states to visit them. Some of them are people she’s been friends with for literally 65 years, some are the parents of high-school classmates of mine, some are people she worked with in the past. My mother, in short, is the ultimate girlfriend.
And I’m working on it.
I wanted my girlfriends to come over and have a low-stress, relaxing meal. I wanted to make something simple and seasonal. I love an oatmeal bar, but I thought a quinoa bar would be a little lighter and a fun twist on my beloved breakfast grain bowl. So, early in the morning, I crept into the kitchen and made a big pot of quinoa with almond milk. I then set out an array of savory and sweet toppings so people could put together their own concoction.
Choices included sliced avocado, crumbled bacon, chopped cilantro, fresh mint, chocolate chips, raspberries, blueberries, cherry tomatoes, shredded coconut, fresh figs, granola, green onions, and I made a sunny-side up egg to top my first savory bowl. I set out jars of various nut butters and a stack of bowls and spoons, and made a pot of coffee. I also made banana bread and blueberry muffins, and people helped themselves and we gabbed and gossiped and had a wonderful time.
It’s so easy for me to get wrapped up in myself and go through the motions of everyday life without remembering to pay attention to my friends. In this incredibly busy season of life, I’m trying to set aside time to slow down.
