Share a Meal With Someone Outside Your Comfort Zone
We gravitate towards people like ourselves. Or to people in whose circle we would like to be found. People whose friends we have been for a long time – or whose friendship we would like to have.
Nothing wrong with that but wouldn’t it be good to discover friendship with people we didn’t know we could be friends with? People who maybe don’t have as varied a social calendar. What does the old parable mean when it talks about inviting to the feast all the people you would least expect to get an invite?
This action is about friendship – and expanding the circumference of our current friendship circle. It’s not particularly about going into town and finding someone sleeping in a doorway and inviting them back for the night. It’s about remembering someone we may already know and deciding perhaps we could get to know them better.
Over to you.
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London, GB , 07 Sep 2005
This is a toughie; I’ve invited – but been turned down… :-(
13 Nov 2005
First step was to invite the 4 tenants in our flats to a supper. We said that it was important to find out who they were so that we all would be safer( and get to meet some interesting people). They all came and our household got to know more about the other people living in our building. Now we need to think how to spread some Christmas cheer to our neighbors.
GB , 29 Dec 2005
We tend to invite people for special occasions, like Christmas. I have been a stranger in London, when I first moved here 19 years ago, and even though I was part of a church, I was never invited for a meal unless it was Christmas. It made me feel like the token “we must be nice to strangers” stranger. Does this make sense? Maybe we should be inviting people a bit more often, it doesn’t always have to be for a meal, maybe an exhibition, or a cuppa….
08 Jan 2006
I agree with midwife—it doesn’t have to be a meal.We invited some neighbours over for “a drink” at Christmas.Turned out to be an all nighter! I think they were quite nevrous of coming though,which is why I suspect Smiffy was turned down.it’s their comfort zone too,and people are sometimes wary of unexpected offers such as this.
28 Feb 2006
Invited…but they were busy :-(
Glastonburry, GB , 04 May 2006
I too have tried this, and received no response. So I brought some food to them the next day!
Leicester, GB , 18 Sep 2006
Having just moved to a new city, everyone is new so I guess it won’t be too hard to find someone outside my comfort zone to dine with, just a case of plucking up the courage, and then dealing with rejection!
25 Sep 2006
I have a couple living next door who are both disabled. They are lovely peolpe and also demanding. We can’t always give our time to them but we will go to their parties which seem to happen quite frequently. I admit to not enjoying these times which require much effort on our part preparing and serving food and clearing up after but as part of living generously we have agreed to go and give a little.
Cardiff, GB , 27 Nov 2006
Easy to “do lunch” with those we can easily chat to, but much harder to extend to those others, who actually need and would value the interaction more. I’m working my way up to this one but know it’s something I should be doing. Thanks for the encouragement.
22 Jul 2007
Would very much like to do this, but not a great socialiser at the best of times, and would be aware of awkward silences etc. I am much easier about actually doing something for people, but will have a try and see how it goes!