Coming Around the Table During COVID
It’s an unprecedented time. It’s normal to lose sight of our current blessings amidst the upheaval of our lives.
Like many of you, additional young adults have descended on our home since March—one for a few weeks during an apartment transition and another for months as he finished his sophomore year in college. Those two, plus the two still at home, add in the two Morkies, and we’ve had a full house. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve loved the chaos, conversation, and unexpected reality from the entire family unit being under one roof once again. As the grocery bill skyrocketed and screams of — “There’s nothing to eat” — resonated throughout the house, it felt like a little bit of normalcy during a trying time.
After weeks into quarantined life, we were sitting around the table sharing a family meal when I realized that no one was jumping up from the table the minute their plate was empty. Conversations were growing more robust and lasting for longer and longer each night, until one evening my college student proclaimed, “Family dinners are great!”
As restrictions have loosened over time, more and more often I join friends in backyards or on outdoor restaurant patios for dinner dates. Amongst the mask mandate and new safety precautions, it is a few hours to listen, share, connect, and catch-up. Those few hours bring happiness and joy to my week.
It’s easy to lose sight of the value of coming around the table to share a meal with family or friends when we’re busy and running from one activity to the next. If there is a shining moment in the middle of a pandemic, it may be the beauty of friends, families, neighbors, and colleagues slowing down to truly experience the power of conversation, awareness of what and how much we’re eating, true connection over food, or joy of uninterrupted time.
Research has shown the health and wellbeing benefits of meals with family and friends:
Lower rates of depression
Lower rates of substance abuse, teen pregnancy, as well as higher grade-point averages and self-esteem
Lower rates of obesity and eating disorders
Better family functioning, including connectedness, cohesion, and communication
And if that’s not enough, studies have shown that people make healthier food choices (e.g. more fruits and vegetables) the more often they sit down for meals.
So I am stopping to appreciate the opportunity for my family to come together around the table for a meal every evening without distractions. I am slowing down and appreciating the long conversations with friends over food and drink. I am taking time to ask more questions, debate current events, and listen deeply to the opinions of others even when they differ from my own. And, when we’re back to “normal” and our evenings are full of scheduled events once again, I am making it a goal to prioritize meals, around a table, full of conversation and connection. It’s good for my spirit and soul.
Rumble on…
Rebecca