I love to go out to lunch!  I mean, I really love it!  What could be better than eating out with a close friend or family member and having face to face communication?  Not much, in my opinion.  

I love going out to eat with my best friend, (who is my husband,) without getting up from the table.  Without having to set the table, stand up to get something I may have forgotten to put on the table or do any of the clean-up chores at home, we can just talk and laugh and eat without interruption.  We only answer our cell phones, if after seeing who it is, we think it could be a possible emergency.  So far, it has never happened.

Going out to dinner is similar, but lunch has the benefit of more reasonable prices and “specials.”  We tend to go to the same places all the time because we like the food and the atmosphere. Even better, the owners get to know us and we get to know them.  It becomes a familial experience.  

In this atmosphere, we tend to have deeper conversations, because I am not thinking about any of the household chores.  When sitting in my kitchen, I can be distracted by the things around me that need to be done.  Not so, in a restaurant.  We can just talk and laugh or have a serious conversation if we want to do so.  And now that we are retired, we have more opportunities.

It’s not like we can’t do these things at home, but it is easier when there are no distractions.  I recently had lunch with my eldest, adult granddaughter.  We have deep conversations and tend to stay a long time after we have finished eating.  There are a few places we especially like to frequent, and they don’t mind if we stay and talk, especially when they are not busy.  (If they are busy, we don’t stay too long.)

Recently, as we were leaving a favorite restaurant,  one of the managers was cleaning a table nearby.  As we were leaving, he told us how much he enjoyed the fact that we talked to each other the whole time we were at the table.  (In fact, we were there for over 2 hours.)  He said that most of the time he witnessed people that were sitting with each other, but not interacting because they were on their phones.  He loved seeing us in deep conversation.  That’s what we love too.  It was good to know that we were not the only ones who still feel that sharing a meal and just talking to each other face-to-face, is one of the best ways to have a close relationship and enjoy each other’s company.

We left the restaurant together and hugged (while giving each other kisses on the cheek).  She thanked me, as she always does.  And then we got into our cars and drove off.  Another sweet memory was filed into my memory for future enjoyment, a reminder of the wonderful experience of sharing by simply having a meal in the middle of the day with someone you love.