For those who haven’t heard about what I’m doing yet, Dinners Together is my way of sharing more quality time with friends while also introducing them to one another in a meaningful way, thus burgeoning our own social circles in a way that’s more organic than random get togethers with people you may not generally seek out.
With each Dinner Together, we’ll have a full, catered meal, with beverages including wine and spirits on hand. Everyone pays $30 to not have to worry about any dietary restrictions (we account for any allergy or restriction in the meal), clean up or feeling overwhelmed by the idea of dining with strangers – everyone will know at least me, but likely also one other person.
Beforehand I also send out emails with brief introductions to our dinner companions for the month. My hope is to have a greater bulk of friends within friends – one of the most interesting thoughts that brought this to mind was from Daniel Goleman’s book, Emotional Intelligence. He gave the example of 4 friends who had all come to know each other through one another after 2 of them had met as college friends. Eventually, all 4 were just as close as the college buddies, but when one of the 4 died, they each realized that a part of themselves had gone with him. Without Jerry, the friend who died, the remaining friends, Tim, Eric and Brian were without the joys and challenges that gave them access to the part of each other that only Jerry could draw out. Jerry and Tim had their own understanding of each other, but because of the close friendship of the 4, Eric and Brian also got to see that part of both their personalities and react to those nuances of character.
That’s really what I hope for through bringing more of my friends together to share a meal. Not only do I then learn more about my own friends, many of whom I’ve known for years and in various contexts, but now I’ll know them through a different and more robust lens. Eventually I hope this will encourage others to host dinners like this, allowing their own friendships to build in this way. In the end, we’re all better and closer for having done so.
Beforehand each Dinner, I send out emails with brief introductions to our dinner companions for the month. You’ll have a lot of starting points for conversation with one another, a good idea of who you may have the most in common with and information to draw upon that’s more genuine than “what do you do” or “how was your week.”
If you’re a friend of mine and would like to attend one of these dinners, I’d love to have you join us in February or beyond. Reach out on social or leave a comment here for details or if you’d like help setting up one of your own Dinners Together!
