Thursday, April 21, 2011

Sometimes money fasting is just inconvenient

I had lunch meetings scheduled twice this week. So I invited people to my office for lunch. Monday I made a variety of sandwiches and a salad in the morning and carried them with me to work. Four of us sat around my coffeetable and had sandwiches and little salads for lunch.

Yesterday I wanted to "run" to church for some morning exercise (note that "run" is in quotes). I couldn't carry lunch with me conveniently. So I stopped at a grocery store near the church and bought makings for hoagies and a bag of potato chips. I hurriedly made sandwiches between a conference call and my lunch meeting. The person I was meeting with probably would have preferred a restaurant but he accommodated me. I am not sure that buying the ingredients and making the sandwiches myself was, in this case, much cheaper.

After the money fast is over, this is a practice I will not continue. It is too hard and not as friendly as having conversation over lunch at Bua's or the Commissary or even the lunch room at Whole Foods.

Yet, inconvenient as it has been, even this has been a good practice. In spite of not wanting to prepare lunches for meetings, I will carry my lunch rather than grab a sandwich somewhere more often. And I will remember how privileged I am to be able to have a relaxed conversational lunch with others at restaurants pretty much whenever I prefer to.

(Tomorrow ... a guest blog from Alicia.)

2 comments:

  1. I've been there Dean. Even with great ideas, life seems to present us with new experiences, and practical lessons...LOL. Have a good lunch, and be Abundantly Blessed. Don

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  2. And when you do return to restaurants, always remember to smile at and say hello to the busboys and dishwashers, one of them could be one of our students!

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