Maybe it’s just clever marketing, but I am starting to believe the hype: maybe 2009 is the start of something grand. Right now our economy is in the tank, we are at war, and the ranks of the jobless swell every day. The experts say 2009 is the year that we pay for the excesses of the past. As a world we’ve got real comfortable with greed and overindulgence, but it didn’t make us happy. It got us into a mess.
But there’s reason to hope. Some people point to a new president and a new attitude in the White House, but I’ve noticed there is something going on that is far more grassroots. Not only do people seem to be more willing to work smarter, but they seem to want to work greener, cleaner, happier, healthier, friendlier, and with deeper passion for what is truly important. The change is inspiring.
It is in this spirit of hope and renewal that I would have my ultimate meal. I would invite several couples and single friends to my table with the ultimate goal of sparking thoughts of four different types of renewal: