Hospitality by definition means;
| 1. | the friendly reception and treatment of guests or strangers. |
| 2. | the quality or disposition of receiving and treating guests and strangers in a warm, friendly, generous way. |
We are now in full swing of the holidays, like it or not. Even though the Thanksgiving turkey leftovers linger on, it’s time to think red & green, holly & ivy, silver & gold.
With this comes a bit of anxiety, I know. Thanksgiving is like the warm up for all of us. It’s the practice run of having family and friends into our homes while dealing with the stress of planning the perfect meal and smiling all the while. So now you can ask yourself, how hospitable were you through it all?
I’ve been watching people all day long during the scurry of Thanksgiving prep time. There was the lady at the grocery store, on her cell phone, at the checkout. When the teenager gave her the receipt and said “Happy Thanksgiving” she answered with a grunt and moved on. Ouch. Might that be me some days when I have so much going on that I can’t see straight? I think so. And we wonder why the younger generation grunts. They learn it somewhere.
So I’m unplugging for the next 30 days (maybe more if all works out). I’m taking my walks on the ocean without an iPod. I’m driving without my phone turned on. I’m turning my phone off at 6 pm before I sit down to dinner with my family.
I’m plugging in to what is happening around me. I’m going to look at the teenager handing me the receipt and be the first to say “Happy Holidays to you,” I’m going to look out the car window and actually see things I’m passing by, and I’m going to be listening to what my family and friends say, full sentence, without the interuption of a phone ring, text buzz or email bing.
In this particular line of work, I find people who are so hospitable and kind and those who… who must be under some unknown stress that keeps them from seeing the bigger picture. Let’s all try to be hospitable during this time that can be stressful. I think if we all smile a little bit more, reach out to one another a little more often, and just come out of the bubble a bit, we could all set a better example for those around us.
I chose the pineapple for this blog posting because it’s a sign of hospitality. You can often see wreaths made from pineapples in the southeast exhibiting a symbol of welcoming friendship. This wreath is available by order, click on the photo to go to their site. They have all kinds of pineapple items, even a nightlight!
So be hospitable. Be a good example to others. Send a note to a friend today, just because.
Tags: fold over note, hospitality, pineapple, sticker