Free Dinners: Gifts to a Starving Artist

I wish I could feed the missionaries. Once I am able to feed myself, I intend on helping to feed them too.

Last night, my friend took me to The Cheesecake Factory. After I obtained the high score in our Toy Story Midway Mania vehicles, only further digging me into the pit of Disney game-themed ride geekiness, our time was of the essence to make room for a comfortable dinner and a few more hours at the happiest place on earth. 90 minutes of comfort food, endless conversation, an adorably colorful waiter, and perfect weather for outdoor seating helped to make the evening as enjoyable as it was. The cherry on top could have very well been the fireworks that started as we were ready to make our cheesecake selection, if only they proved to be visually present as well as audible. It was not so much the fact that my friend was willing to dish out earned money to cover our meals and service at a somewhat pricey restaurant (could I have very well settled with the likes of a Del Taco? Absolutely!), but more of the fact that he wanted to make sure I was well fed and could enjoy dinner with him. Does it make me feel like a mooch? Guilty? Ashamed? Yes, and I had to convince myself not to feel these thoughts when he brought this offer to the table. Truly, as a starving artist, it is one of the greater gifts I could receive at this moment, and to be even more privileged to have friends like him, who are so considerate and thoughtful. And to add to those adjectives "fun to be around", because after finishing our meal, we were back at the park making the most of a few hours before closing, and in many ways, there is nothing more exhilarating than several screams and lots of water and a sharp drop into a briar patch at 11:30 at night.

I do not say this as a form of pity given my current state of being. If nothing else, this is a bigger lesson I am experiencing in this game of life, one that I will grow from and take to be more self sufficient, that I can take care of myself. And in learning to do so, to take this perspective into the near future, I will be able to help support my husband in our new life together, as well as any children that may be brought into our lives. Meanwhile, I am also continuously growing in gratitude for the people around me and all else that I do have, because as low as my life has felt at times, I have a lot to be thankful for, and so much more that will be brought my way in these years to come.

This prompts me to an additional gift in the form of a graduation dinner where I will play the date of an unlikely fellow this Friday night which, strangely, I am looking forward to.