“There is nothing that makes me happier than sitting around the dinner table and talking until the candles are burned down.”
~ Madeleine L’Engle, A Circle of Quiet
While I’ve been in Brisbane this week for all my medical tests a dear friend took me for an early dinner. Collecting me from my front door she drove us to a small suburban bistro.
It has been so long since I have ventured forth in the evening I’d forgotten how enchanting a restaurant can be.
The place we chose had only two other diners when we arrived. Inside it was a place of quiet and calm; a little background music, a sea of crisp white linen, a portly head waiter with a kind face and soft well-manicured hands, and a jovial patriarchal chef-owner who came and greeted us as if we were friends returning home after a long absence.
I drank it in – the sights, the sounds, the aromas. Oh, it was heavenly to be out. It reminded me of being a small child, newly experiencing the wonders of an adult world when my grandparents would take me out somewhere for a grown-up lunch.
The food was delicious. Italian. A little sinful. We chatted between mouthfuls as the tables around us began to fill. By the time we’d finished our mains the place was humming.
Dessert?
Please. Two girlfriends out for dinner? Of course I had some!
I thrilled with each mouthful of tiramisu, served with the daintiest of spoons to prolong the ecstasy. Not even close to my usual healthy fare. But that’s okay. It’s a good thing to bend the rules every now and again.
The best part of dinner? Simply being out, with a friend, doing something that felt a lot like normal – a reminder of the life I used to have, many years ago, pre-Lyme.
It filled me with hope.
That simple act of dinner with a friend was a like a tiny glimpse into all the good things yet to come.
And then last night, very early, I received a text. Two girlfriends of mine were just ‘driving around’. Could they maybe pop over and say hi? Five minutes later they were on my doorstep, and then, like teenagers, we went driving and bought ice-creams.
I was still home and in bed early, but wow! Fun, friendship, ice-cream!!!
There is so much to be grateful for.
What small blessings can you count right now?
Much love to you, ♥ Nicole xx
I am about to eat a dessert I made, and instead of seeing it as something normal I am going to see it as something extraordinarily NORMAL. I will enjoy every mouthful and delight in it. So thank you so much for putting me back in the moment. I hope your week goes well, good luck!
How lovely!
The picture you have painted is so full of vibrant colour . I felt I was with you sampling the joy. It’s so lovely to see you out and about with your friends …it’s what you need right now .
I had a lovely incidenct happen to me yesterday . I went to a town nearby, that I don’t go to very often, so I wasn’t familiar with the local tea shops . I couldn’t find any anywhere, when suddenly I found a little shop with just a couple of other people in it . A kindly girl told me to make myself comfortable and she’d bring my tea over . When she brought it it was presented in lovely white china and with it complementary biscuit …it was a delight .
When I finished, and thanked her, I walked back the way I had come towards my car, I then realized, I had missed three other tea shops on the route . I must have been destined for that lovely shop …you can bet I’ll be back . Isn’t life amazing Nicole.
Cherry x
Which Restaurant?
I love a good Tiramisu. That one looked fantastic.
I am so glad for you that you can get the occasional ‘normal’ day. Keep Well. Love and hugs
I have not been out for a meal in a bloody long time in fact I really don’t remember the last time I went to a restaurant with waiters
All teary with joy for you. Absolutely delightful, soul warming and Lovely. I wish for you to enjoy many, many more of those times.
Friends (& ice cream & tiramisu) FTW!! <3 <3
Hooray for friends – especially girlfriends. I love my ‘sistas’ to bits; they seem to make the world a better place. SO happy you got to go out and act like a teeny-bopper!! ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
The magic of tiramisu and good company! Sounds delightful!
Oh that’s wonderful! Its sounds like you’re having some well deserved fun ! : o )
Love those moments…it’s all the details XO
Blessings indeed! I have started a new morning routine the last couple if days, where instead of jumping on the computer early, I journal my dreams, do a guided meditation, half an hour yoga, then a half an hour walk with my kids, it’s awesome! We love it 🙂
Who’d be without their friends at times like these!