An ode to hosting
Pottery, vegan ice cream, lost shoes, and pink lemonade
Hey friends! I felt the urge to start this by doing a little self promo (pretending that I was not actively cringing at myself as I typed that). My friend Brooke (aka Grandma Training) and I were talking about how much we have felt the need to self-promote our work on Substack since starting to publish. It is a really uncomfortable thing, and I don’t think most writers enjoy it, but it feels necessary in some weird way. So, all of this is leading me to let you know that I am kicking off an open mic on Friday, 7/21 (tomorrow) at East Village Bookshop in Sacramento. Anyone is welcome to read, or just attend and listen! I would love it if you did. I am feeling very excited and a tad nervous- I am still figuring out what pieces I want to share. But, open mics always make me happy, especially listening to other people’s work. The little Instagram post is linked below.
Anyways, now that I am finished with the self-promo portion of this piece (subscribe to my Substack), I wanted to talk about the joy of hosting a simple little dinner party. Yesterday was one of my best friends' birthdays, and I offered to host a dinner at my house instead of going out. I planned out food and decorations, she sent me a list of attendees, and I spent the next couple of weeks looking forward to it. I had a feeling that it would be a good night for everyone, but I especially wanted it to be a perfect night for her. She has grown more than anyone I know in the past year, and deserves to be celebrated, so I was looking forward to seeing her happy.
My mom helped me figure out a vegan dinner to cook, which ended up being delicious, and people brought chips, salsa, and pink lemonade (the birthday gal’s favorite). Before the party, we took a pottery class, and I think I discovered a new passion. I was horrible at it, but there’s something so mesmerizing about the wheel and molding something with your hands, and it made me want to get better. So, catch me in the ceramics studio next year at school in the midst of the night making bowls and cups and crying when they fall apart. I could not be more excited, discovering a new passion, something you love to do and can see yourself doing for hours upon end without interruption, is probably one of the best feelings in the world.
After pottery, I returned home to start preparing for the party. I chopped, decorated, assembled, and listened to tunes. My lovely friend came early, and we made a playlist (the most important part of hosting any party, which somehow slipped my mind), and we chopped and assembled some more. When people started to trickle in, I knew that it was going to be a good night. Everyone looked beautiful, and you could tell they were so genuinely excited to celebrate such a wonderful being. The joy and warmth emanating from the backyard was so beautiful, thus why I felt the need to obnoxiously take pictures on my camera every minute. Something I love about birthday parties is that there’s always people who don’t know each other very well, but they have a reason to talk and spend time together since they are celebrating the same person, and there for the same reason. Friendships, even if they are short-lived or not remembered until the next birthday, are rooted in other people’s birthday parties!
I love offering to host dinner parties, even if they’re not for any reason in particular, because I love being the photographer. I love seeing my friends happy, and I love to dance in the light that spills from their smiles and laughter. I love offering them my jacket when it gets cold out, and scooping their ice cream, and staining my dresses. Seeing the people you love happy is worth anything, and good food and music is the cherry on top. So, I plan to keep having dinner parties for the rest of my life. Out of the communal kitchen next year, hosted outside or in a common room, in tiny apartments the years following. Hopefully one day, they’ll be in my own big, beautiful backyard. But for now, I am more than content hosting a dinner party anywhere, because I know it will always be warm, no matter the sun’s position.
So today, I recommend hosting a dinner party, even if there’s absolutely no occasion for it. You don’t need a reason to gather the people you love and eat good food, dance to music, laugh until you cry. Take every single chance you have to do just that.
xoxo,
B
THIS IS SO CUTE AND WONDERFUL HOW DID IT TAKE ME A DAY TO SEE THIS????? Anyone who does not attend your poetry night (Belachella if you will) is MISSING OUT!!!! Thank you for the mention and as always I love what you write💟💟
Loved sharing your dinner party fun. The hosting part is definitely a family tradition. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree! ❤️