Working on Hospitality

Yesterday I had a family from the church over for dinner. They have 3 children; the oldest is in my Sunday School class and she has two younger brothers. I don't know any of them very well, which is why I invited them over: so I could get to know them a bit.

It was awkward at times as we tried to get some sort of conversation going. The kids were happy playing with Lego and the dad joined them. The mom and I were able to talk about books as we're both readers so that helped. I'm not always much of a talker so it was challenging for me, but it was my house and my job to make them feel comfortable, so I did my best. We did better as we ate; I remembered to ask good questions, asking for specifics about what the dad does (not just what his job title is, but what does he actually do and how did he get interested in that career), which helped and I think we all relaxed and were able to branch out from that. I also did a round of "what do you do for fun?" with the kids.

Overall, it was a good evening. We all learned a bit about each other and the kids had fun playing. They found my Mr. Potato Head collection and had fun making the silliest creations. Conversation didn't flow the way it does with some people, but it wasn't bad. I'm pretty sure I said some "let's make things a bit more awkward" things as I tried to keep going, but nothing that seemed to kill the conversation.

Next time we're together will be a bit easier because we're over the first "getting to know each other" hurdle. Now there's a bit more of a link between us.

Hospitality can be hard. I'm not always good at conversation and I'm always a bit nervous when I have new people over. It's worth the effort, though; I've made some of my closest friends because I've taken the plunge and invited them for dinner. Other people have not become close friends, but we're friendlier at church and different events; letting them into my life by having them into my home helps bridge any differences between us.

It's still a work in progress, but I am trying to step outside my comfort zone in this little way.