Living well / Essay
Make the small invitation
You do not need a spotless house or an elaborate dinner to ask someone over. Sometimes a cup of tea is the whole plan.
It is possible to spend months meaning to invite somebody over. First the diary needs to clear. Then the house needs attention. Then you imagine a meal considerably more ambitious than the one you would make for yourself.
A smaller invitation has fewer obstacles. Come for a cup of tea. Walk with me to the shop. Bring whatever you are having for lunch and we will sit in the garden.
Let the occasion stay ordinary
A friend can sit beside the laundry you have not folded. The mugs do not need to match. An ordinary room may even make it easier to settle into an ordinary, unhurried conversation.
Say what you have in mind so that nobody has to guess: an hour, a coffee, no need to bring anything. There is warmth in making the invitation clear.
Make room for another time
Sometimes the answer will be no, or not this week. That does not make the invitation a mistake. It can simply leave a door open.
The most memorable afternoon is not always the one with the best table. Often it is the one that actually happened.
