Amy M. Schaefer
  • Amy M. Schaefer, Writer
  • Blog: From the Front Porch
  • Novels
  • Short Stories
    • Children's Books
  • About the Author
  • Contact
  • Photo & Art Gallery

From the Front Porch

I am an "accidental blogger". When I launched my writing career in March of 2014, one of the things that I decided to include was my journaling, which I have always found to be a comforting and therapeutic endeavor.  It was a big risk to open myself up in such a public forum, but it has taught me that, for the most part, we share far more experiences than we think. It's comforting to know I'm not alone!  (*the "Button Text" is the link to my first novel)
Button Text

No Cellphones at the Dinner Table

8/1/2014

0 Comments

 
Picture
"Sharing food with another human being is an intimate act that should not be indulged in lightly." --M.F.K. Fisher

Sharing a meal with someone should be intimate, personal. I am disgusted when I go out to eat and see people glued to some sort of electronic device, while they absently shovel food into their mouth and ignore others at their table. Perhaps it's old-fashioned southern DNA inside me that is offended by this "modern trend", but I have seen this social faux pas played out repeatedly in eateries below the Mason-Dixon Line, which suggests that not all southerners are subject to that genetic trait! My extended family raised us all to treat a meal as a social time, where fellowship and conversation were as essential as the food being served. My father once told me that when he was a child, his father had a hard and fast rule at mealtime, no one left the table until everyone was done eating. While I am guilty of breaking Grandpa Charlie's rule, I think it's a good one and I am mindful not to abandon the slow eaters at my table.

Are we becoming a race of people who have more ways than ever to communicate with one another, which we waste by not actually communicating? Have we become so "plugged in" that we are losing the most important connection of all...to each other? Mealtime is a prime time of day to stop, take a breath, and enjoy someone's company over something yummy. I'm issuing a challenge to all my readers: Over the next five days, at least once a day, sit and have a meal with someone...friend, family, co-worker, love interest. Eliminate all distractions, i.e. cellphones, TV, computer/laptop, etc. and use that time to talk, share, and enjoy whomever you're dining with. Bring a lunch to work and sit outside with a co-worker, sharing an impromptu picnic. Get up a little earlier and eat breakfast with your children. Invite someone you haven't seen or spoken with in awhile out to dinner and take your time over the meal catching up. Have a romantic dinner with someone you love on a random day of the week (even if it's as simple as lighting some candles and sitting out on the back porch while you eat). However you envision fulfilling the challenge is fine with me, as long as you stick to the "zero distractions" part. I hope you'll share your "Eating Adventures" with me in the comments section of this blog. I'd love to hear your stories!

*Image from evmcd.net.
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    About The Author

    I grew up in rural North Carolina. When I was only nineteen, I moved away and became a military wife. My only aspiration at that tender time in my life was to create an adult life that "fixed" all of the "injustices" of my childhood. Secretly, however, I wanted to reach for the sky! I wanted to be a writer and find ways to "save the world" (my mother used to say, "You have Save the World Syndrome".). Mostly, I wanted to matter.

    Since then, I have learned to reach well beyond what I ever dared to think was possible. I've learned not to allow fear to stop me from whatever future I want to create!

    What keeps me grounded? My Tribe! What provides the wind beneath my wings? A well of reserves filled with unstoppable passion!

    Archives

    August 2021
    March 2020
    August 2019
    June 2019
    March 2019
    November 2018
    October 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    May 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    December 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    January 2017
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014

    Categories
    A View From the Hill: Short Stories by Mattie Hill Shields

    All

    Button Text

    RSS Feed

    View my profile on LinkedIn
Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
  • Amy M. Schaefer, Writer
  • Blog: From the Front Porch
  • Novels
  • Short Stories
    • Children's Books
  • About the Author
  • Contact
  • Photo & Art Gallery