It feels like years since we last had friends over for dinner, but the last couple weeks have seen a nice return to conviviality. We hosted a revival of “book club” with a group of friends that first started meeting before Ben was even born. When the kids were little, we often hosted because it was relatively easy for us to make a meal for ten, chuck the kids upstairs to bed, and not miss out on any socialization or book discussion. When it fizzled, maybe 15 years ago, I really missed the conversation and socializing it had offered, and Ben missed it too. For years afterwards, on the rare occasion that he observed us cleaning the house, he would hopefully ask, “Book club?” When Charles suggested that we try rebooting, we were excited to give it a try.
When you are a parent, you sometimes miss the forest for the trees. You focus on the little challenges and successes of the day. Days stack on days until your string of days, you realize, is decades long.
From Ben’s earliest days, before he even spoke or walked, he loved to socialize. Everyone in book club remembers him crawling around the kitchen floor (while the fondude worked his magic) raising his arms up, beaming, until someone would pick him up. Some might even remember how to sign “More goldfish crackers, please.”
