.lingering.

i want to linger more.

today, i went to my college best friend's parents' house for lunch. she lives in boston with her husband and is an only child, so by default, 10 years ago, i became daughter #2. since i live nearby, i often benefit from having meals with them and being the surrogate, which seems to work well for all 3 of us.

after having known them for 10 years, i realized something today that i've never realized, they linger. and i love it. we sat down to lunch about 1 and we got up from the table around 3. my family doesn't linger, everyone always seems to be preoccupied with something "more important" right when the food is gone. but not them - they eat their meals slowly and in courses and they linger. i want that for my life. when it's appropriate and there is time, i long to be more intentional about lingering.

why?

because it fosters community. it makes room for conversation that goes beyond "table talk." it forces you to eat slower. in my mind it's what "breaking bread" together is supposed to be like. in Jesus' day, the tables were on the ground with recliner-ish pillows for chairs because people lingered. Jesus lingered, so in order to be more like Jesus, i resolve to linger... because it's in the lingering that we learn and we listen.