Hey That’s A Nice Life

Don shed his colander for a photo shoot with the Washingtonian Web staff this weekend.  WeLoveDC.com is being featured in the magazine’s Blogger Beat section and Don was photographed for the article along with fellow writers Jenn and Shannon. 

It was a rainy day in our fair city, but Shannon brought along her awesome Metro umbrella and all three of them gathered underneath while Chris Leaman took their photograph. 

*And by famous, I mean MORE famous.  As you know, he was featured in Out magazine a few years ago talking about some gross homophobic ad campaign.  Oh, and a photo he took at a Lyle Lovett concert was used in an ad in Bass Player magazine last spring.

As I have mentioned before, Don and I are not religious people.  However, I am a believer in ritual and traditions.  I also try to be thankful for my blessings - whatever the source of those blessing may be. 

For years, I have been thinking that I want to declare my gratitude before our dinner meal, but we never seem to get around to incorporating this tradition.

Don once forwarded me a link from Ask Metafilter about non-specific graces.  It may have been this one, although I’m sure the topic has been addressed on their forums many times.

I like the shorter Buddhist gatha offered by one contributor:

We receive this food in gratitude to all beings
Who have helped to bring it to our table,
And vow to respond in turn to those in need
With wisdom and compassion.

I also like the very simple but very accurate, “For what we are about to receive we are thankful”.

Gretchen (L) and Grace outside the American Indian Museum early this month.

It had been some time since I revisited my desire to show how thankful we are to the earth for continuing to provide our food, to the farmers who grow and harvest it, to our employers who pay us enough to afford it and to our parents who taught us how to cook and enjoy it.  Then my friends Dawn and Chuck visited with their two little girls, pictured at the left during their visit to DC.  Before dinner their youngest, Gretchen, offered grace.  She’s three, so the first part was hard to understand - though it was probably something along the lines of “God is Great, God is Good”.  Instead of ending with the traditional and expected, “Amen”, little Gretchen said:

“Bon Appetit.  Now you may eat … and drink.”

I found it utterly charming and I told Don that if we have a child I want to teach her say that before every meal.  BUT that means that we’ll have to start working the tradition into our own meals.  So, I’m contemplating what our grace should be.

Any thoughts?

Here’s another picture of Grace and Gretchen on their trip to DC.  It’s not really related to this post, but they are so darn cute I couldn’t help it.

Grace (L) and Gretchen with a SCARY lion (thanks, Tom!) at the National Zoo.

Lately, Don and I have been half-heartedly looking at real estate.  This creates lots of problems for me - money angst, house stalking, etc.  But the main challenge is that I start imagining how I would decorate this room or that, and before you know it I spend hours looking at kitchen remodelling Web sites (we rent) or new furniture (we already have too much furniture and there’s nothing wrong with any of it).

One of the biggest reasons I’d like to move and would like to buy a house is that I love to cook and our kitchen is just not designed for a cook.  I’d still like to keep the cottage kitchen look, though.  White cabinets, exposed plate racks, big sink and cozy decor.  However, I’d add slate floors, stone counters, stainless appliances, an island and a gas range.

Something more like these examples:

*sigh*  Someday.