Pizza & Processing

In this blog I usually stick to discussing the lighter, easier aspects of potlucking. I talk about the delicious food we make, the fun times we have together and the celebrations we share with each other. And why wouldn't I want to focus on the positive parts? Nobody ever likes zeroing in on the pitfalls, and yet...sometimes that is unavoidable.

Due to various reasons,  there was a shift in our potluck group about 8 or 9 months ago. This shift caused various members who had been with us to drop out for a while and the group sort of stumbled for a bit. There were definitely a few weeks of uncertainty, but eventually, we worked through it and continued on.

Currently, another shift has occurred and we're doing our best to work through it, and I can see that bright light at the end of the tunnel. This past Monday's potluck certainly helped with that. We were able to sit down and voice our concerns, fears and uncertainties and work through them, sharing how we saw the future of potluck.

In lieu of spending time preparing food, we opted to order in some pizza and instead take the time to sit and connect. It wasn't easy, but once we got the ball rolling, it was really fruitful. As we ate (the pizza was quickly followed up by chocolate chip cookies!) and talked, I noticed a word that got thrown around a lot: family.

It's true...this group of friends that I've been sharing Monday night meals with for almost four years has certainly become like a family. And like a family, we share the good and the bad. While it would be easier and simpler if we only had to deal with the good...sometimes it's the bad parts that remind us of how sweet we usually have it.

While it's never fun to have to sit down and hash things out, it's usually helpful, and in our case it certainly proved to be so. We're far from having everything figured out, but I have hopes that we're on our way there. So, while I don't have pictures of yummy food or even delicious recipes to share, I come with the overused (but perhaps for good reason?) message of "anything worth having is worth fighting for." Continuing with the cliches, a good friend reminded me that this type of "family" isn't born, rather, it's made.  And anything you make can take a few tries and some reworking, but that just makes it worth more.

It's helpful to remember these sentiments as I'm sure this isn't the last bump in the road we might ever face, but I know that just like before we'll figure it out and only grow stronger. Then, as we figure it out we'll be back to the fun, delicious times (and posts) we're all familiar with.