Cake – an important element of lunch on the last Thursday of each month

On the last Thursday every month I go out for lunch… it’s nothing fancy, just meeting up at a friend’s house with a few other folks, sharing  food that each of us has brought. These days I usually take cake – it was generally agreed that these sessions are best with cake – otherwise, we never plan what we are taking along; I think it’s what’s known as a ‘pot-luck’ in the US. We could end up with four pans of soup or three loaves of bread and a jelly, you just never know. In fact, even though there are usually only four of us at most, we generally manage a very acceptable meal.

Anyway, the point is not the food – although that is good – the point is that we take a few hours out of our lives to inspire and encourage each other. We are, in fact, meeting as a ‘learning guild’ – the result of all of us being registered for the diploma in applied permaculture design. However, since we started getting together in 2012, we have got to know each other and become friends. We share our ideas about living more sustainably – through our gardens, families, work and hobbies – and encourage each other to take projects forward. It’s lovely to have like-minded friends to bounce ideas off and who will talk sense to you when you are going a little off the rails.

Similarly, Mr Snail-of-happiness has just gone off to meet with some other people in the area who are doing NaNoWriMo. They are going to meet up every Sunday through November to share their highs and lows of writing nearly 1700 words a day and hopefully give each other encouragement if anyone is finding it hard. Unlike my group, though, they are meeting in a pub! Who knows, perhaps they will continue to support each other once the month is over.

It may seem like an extravagance to take time out of your life to share a meal and chat, but it almost certainly isn’t. I come away from my gatherings feeling enthused and energised… not to mention happy, and that certainly shouldn’t be dismissed as a successful outcome!