The Lost Art of Potluck

There's just something about a bunch of people-some you know and some you don't know-getting together and each bringing some food to share. Hanging out, catching up with friends, getting to know someone new, all the kids off playing together...it's one thing that can make it feel less like the "modern age" with all the cell phones and technology and busyness, and more like a hundred years ago. A friend of mine had the genius idea to start a new tradition where she's inviting anyone at all to come over to her house for a yummy lunch the first Sunday of every month, and the first one was today. It was so much fun.
You can really break down a potluck dinner and find many amazing aspects:
1)They're cost efficient. In exchange for a homemade mac-n-cheese casserole and a chocolate peanut butter cake (which didn't really turn out that well), we fed our family of 5 an extreme amount of food.
2)There's something about eating with each other that just levels the playing field. In any other context someone's better and smarter and more experienced, but we all gotta eat and we're all pretty darn good at it. A conversation that I may be too intimidated to have in a meeting or over the phone seems to flow just fine over a big, ol' plate of fried chicken.
3)It can totally improve your mood. Now, this wasn't the case today, but there have been times when I was grumpy and had enough of the kiddos and mad at Jono and then went to eat with a big group of people. I start off faking my happiness and loving kindness towards my family and by the time we leave, that fake attitude has rubbed off and I'm really feeling quite pleasant towards them. Go figure.
4)It's free entertainment for the kids. Children who otherwise would be complaining about being bored at Six Flags are running around having the time of their lives with a stick and empty solo cups. When it's time to leave, they'll be begging you to stay a little longer.
I think that everyone should be a part of a consistent potluck dinner schedule. And not ones with ulterior motives, although those are fine. But to experience this phenomenon in its fullest glory, there can't be a meeting snuck in there. It's gotta be just food and whatever sweet convos happen to happen. So never turn down an invite to one. In fact, I'd go so far as to say that you should cancel anything that would prevent you from going to one and choose the potluck. And if you don't have a genius friend in your life who has instigated it, be brave and organize one yourself. It will be totally worth it. I've heard so many people go on and on about what a great time they had today. It was really wonderful. And there was no music or skits or clowns or magicians or tv or even games. Just- try hard to imagine- people talking and eating. That's all. It's surprising how simple we really are.