The Most Important Meal of the Day

It's 7 am on a Tuesday morning.  The family is gathered around the breakfast table with fresh squeezed orange juice, steaming hot biscuits, scrambled eggs, sausage, bacon and fresh fruit are in their respective plates and bowls.

The conversation is centered around the plans for the day and the challenges that each family member expects to face.  This is a scene that is played out every day around the country as families prepare for the day around the breakfast table.

Ok. Perhaps it only happens in movies like Pleasantville but today's fast-paced world really doesn't seem to allow this type of activity to take place regularly.  Frankly, I'm lucky if I remember to grab the fruit that's been cut up and a hard boiled egg or two.  Conversation is limited . . . if at all.

Unfortunately I don't think I can count on one hand the number of breakfasts I had with my children as they were growing up.

Shame on me!

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day and not just for physiological reasons.  It sets the tone for relationships.  All too often I'm pushing because I'm late and frankly, I'm too busy.  It's time to reset those things that are most important in life and it isn't the things.

Perhaps I should get up a half hour earlier not so that I can rush out the door but so that I spend time on the relationships that matter.

I was reminded of that again this morning when I had breakfast with a long-time family friend. I've been in Nashville for a few days and had an opportunity to catch up.

This morning it was at a deli in Nashville called . . . are you ready . . . Noshville.  After getting in the car and driving around a few blocks to find it (it is right behind the Hampton Inn I was staying at!), the parking lot was full.  Not really too bad but it was raining a little.

After living in Oregon for a few years I learned that a little rain never hurt anyone and it wasn't a reason to pull out an umbrella or to run.  You get wet. You dry off.

It was fun to get caught up over a wonderful meal.  A great cup of coffee along with a generous helping of Lox, cream cheese and an everything bagel.  The only thing that seemed a little unusual was that the capers were a side order rather than standard.

But as tasty as the food was, it was the reminder that I should be making time to have a conversation over breakfast and take the opportunity build relationship with those that matter most that was the best part of the morning.

So for the next week I'm going to make a concerted effort to make time to not just refuel the body during breakfast but refuel the important relationships in life.