Tuesday evening our little nephew spent the night with us and in the hour before bedtime we found ourselves teaching him how to play the classic Sorry! board game.

It was rough going at first, because as it turns out, four-year olds prefer only to win. They also protest rather loudly should their pawn get sent back to start, but after a few rounds he began to understand the game, and ended up really enjoying himself. The next morning when I woke him up to get ready for the day he very sweetly asked “Can we just stay home and play Sorry! all day long? Please! Pleeeeeaaase!?”  As I contemplated his request I was reminded of this quote I ran across last week.

                       “Man surprised me most about humanity. Because he sacrifices his health in order to          

                        make money. Then he sacrifices money to recuperate his health. And then he is so

                        anxious about the future that he does not enjoy the present; the result being that he

                        does not live in the present or the future; he lives as if he is never going to die, and then

                        dies having never really lived.”                                                                      

                                                                        -James J. Lachard

 I thought for a second and then decided, YES! Yes. we will stay home and play Sorry! all day! We will lounge in our pj’s late into the morning, and play Sorry!, and draw and paint a little. We will visit the downtown mid-week farmer’s market, and make a late afternoon snack of hummus and Naan while having a little kitchen dance party.

The fact is, life is short, and nephews are four for just a very short time. Our restaurant, as much as I love it will be there the next day. There will be people to cook for, and wait on, and money to be made all the other days this year. That day, that Wednesday when he was begging to stay home and just have fun, it was only coming once, and for once we decided to live in the present and enjoy it.

This week I hope you are able to steal a little extra snippet of the present time. I hope you spend it doing something you love. If you’re looking for ideas, kitchen dance parties and hummus and Naan, they are ALWAYS good ideas!

Black Bean Hummus

2 Cloves Crushed Garlic

1 (15 Ounce) Can Black Beans, rinsed and drained

Juice of One Lemon

2 Tbsp. Tahini (Sesame Seed Paste)

1 tsp. Ground Cumin

¾ tsp. Salt

¼ tsp. Cayenne Pepper

½ tsp. Smoked Paprika (Regular paprika will work too)

1 Tbsp. Olive Oil

Place all ingredients except olive oil in the bowl of a food processor. Blend until smooth. While blending slowly drizzle in olive oil.

Scoop hummus into serving bowl and top with another drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of smoked paprika. Serve with warmed Naan, pita bread, or tortilla chips.