Oopsie...a bit of a rant?

Friday I went to the Temple and had a lot of great time to think and pray and ponder and just enjoy the ride over and back.  My weekly trip depends on how Terry is doing but it seems to be Friday happens more often than not.  So I'm choosing Friday as my Temple day!  Seems I've written that before but just wanted to share that fact again.

On my trip I thought a lot about how life is constantly changing and just when you get it figured out, it all shifts.  I remember a life segment, of many years, thinking that I knew everything...everything!- that a person needed to know for living life.  Then I found myself moved ahead, beyond thinking, and knew that I knew it all!  Now?...I know that I know nothing!!  Life...such an adventure!

A couple of things that I do know for sure.  Families should eat meals together and social media destroys conversing and is addictive.  Don't shoot me down.  Just saying what I feel.  There are only two of us here.  It's easy to not eat together.  We don't communicate on social media with each other and yet it's easy to not converse!

Today we talked about making sure we eat at least once a day together for dinner.  How can this happen you ask?  How are you married forever...home all the time...relatively healthy etc etc. and yet it's a challenge?

Age and taste buds change and sleeping habits are on different schedules and health challenges and on and on...Nothing sounds good or nothing tastes good...I've been up for several hours and he's still sleeping from a rough night... at this stage of my life- I'm not gung-ho at cooking meals anymore!  More of a short-order cook!!...On and on the challenges go.  He thinks he deserves a break because he's almost 80.  I cry...so?  You get it?  Right!?

When we talked about making sure we sit at the table, together for a meal, he questioned ...aren't you saying that the purpose is to connect and visit?  I said...yes.  He said...aren't we doing that now?  and don't we visit off and on like this, all day?  I said...yes.

When I read the New York Times article and they addressed families with children and how hectic/chaotic/challenging etc. it is...they mentioned figuring out something, some time, that the family sits down, with food, eats and talks.  They even mentioned desserts!  I mean that's pretty desperate if that's all a person can manage when they have family at home but thinking out of the box is good for all of us.  Maybe my Sweetie and I will meet over pie (purchased frozen! Of course!)

I've talked about family meals for years.  I know.  I'm sort of on my Soapbox but school is getting ready to start and I hope that meals are on your priority list.

The list I shared below is actually for after school chats but if it's awkward to talk at the table...put the questions in a jar and draw them out and everyone gets to answer.

I don't know if the game Vertell?s would work or not at a dinner table.  The entire premise is for conversation that goes beyond ...yes and no.  Check it out!  (Cassie and I took Vertell?s with us when we went to Leavenworth but we talked so much that we never opened it up!)

 NY Times...why eat together?  how to have better family mealtimes...here

questions to ask your children at the dinner table?  here

hello@vertellis.com (maybe for Sunday afternoon- if it's to involved for a dinner?)

My soapboxing blog about "devices"  here

“The time a family spends together ‘eating meals at home [is] the strongest predictor of children’s academic achievement and psychological adjustment.’ Family mealtimes have also been shown to be a strong bulwark against children’s smoking, drinking, or using drugs. There is inspired wisdom in this advice to parents: what your children really want for dinner is you.”

--Elder Dallin H. Oaks (CR 2007)