The key ingredient in life's best dinners

I think I’ll cancel my plans for April 1, but maybe I can schedule a really great dinner, as I shift my calendar yet again…

1. Is April Fool’s Day still a thing? It’s been years since I’ve been pranked, or pranked anyone else, but this might be one of those things that’s a big deal at one point in our lives and then recedes. There are lots of phases like that, from an obsession with poop in third grade to big New Year’s parties in our Twenties to school fundraisers in our Forties. And, of course, back to poop in our Eighties.
   
   
2. If I think it’s important, it’s important. If I think it’s going to hold me back, it will hold me back. If I think it’s an infringement on my freedoms, it’s an infringement on my freedoms. And if I think it’s no big deal, it’s no big deal. See how easy that was?
   
   
3. When I was earning bread as a consultant, I learned that the way to be successful is to remember all the mistakes you made with your first clients and then, don’t make those mistakes again. It turns out that’s the secret to pretty much everything else in life, too.
   
   
4. I’ve had a lot of really great dinners in my life, but I cannot remember what we ate at most of them. What made them great was the people I was with or the back story from my trip. I think it’s particularly meaningful that I’ve never had a truly memorable dinner when I was dining alone.
   
   
5. I was on the board of a non-profit that raised the funding we provided to our youth group, while also calling on them to add even more to their budget by increasing their own fundraising. Since they had to raise more money, they decided we had reduced our support and we were absolutely unable to convince them that they were wrong in that conclusion. I get déjà vu when I read posts from friends who continue to cling to falsehoods, no matter how many times the facts are explained to them.
   
   
6. I was editing a home video the other day and I noticed that I'm still wearing a shirt that I bought more than 20 years ago. If the fashion industry is counting on me to help with their recovery, they are absolutely screwed. 
   
   
7. Being a grownup is one of those things that looks like a lot of fun until you get there. It’s like New Year’s Eve parties, homecoming games, awards programs, and getting your own apartment.  
   
   
8. I’ve been very critical of the vaccine roll-out and the government’s response to the pandemic’s impact on everyday Americans, but I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t have come up with a better fix. We all have much greater insight into what’s wrong than we do about how to make it right. Although, seriously, I would have transformed every drive-through in the country into a vaccine site for five consecutive days and, bingo, all gone.

 
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