Cooking for friends on a cloudy Spring's afternoon
It has been a long time since the last time I was in charge of cooking dinner for a group of friends (six).
Some planning was needed, but everything went alright, and we enjoyed a great time together.
Even thought it is not something I would like to do every weekend—my loneliness needs are above average—spending an evening surrounded by good friends to enjoy good food, drinks and conversation, is one of the greatest pleasures in my life. An experience no amount of money can buy.
Granted, money is needed to pay for a place to live and get the groceries from the supermarket, but you don't need a shitload of it.
Money does not buy you friendship, neither does teach you how to enjoy life.
As I get older, my appreciation for the people in my life only grows. They are the main reason life is worth living.
Keeping a friendship alive for many years is not easy. It might occur organically, but not effortlessly. Usually, bonds with others are forged by going through hardships together. It is not only the good times, but also—and particularly—the difficult ones, what makes those bonds stronger.
And for enjoying life, probably being aware of its fleeting nature is a good starting point. If we take impermanence seriously, looking at a flourishing Magnolia or cooking for friends on a cloudy Spring's afternoon acquire new meanings. Once a moment is gone, it never goes back.