“Pay a Visit”

June 6, 2011

Today’s Bit of Advice….

“Pay a Visit”

We didn’t go very many places when I was a child.  We went to church and the grocery store.  Saturdays was religion class and the Laundromat.  Sometimes my dad went to the hardware store and would take me along.   Once in a blue moon, we would go to a restaurant!  Pizza Hut was near the top of my list.  And then there was the family drive where we seemed to drive aimlessly looking at the countryside – I still love a drive to this day.

The best part of a drive in the country was when it ended with “paying a visit”.  My parents didn’t talk about it out loud (or at least loud enough for me to hear) but the car just seemed to drive itself to the home of family friends.  We’d pull in the driveway, pile out of the car, and go ring the doorbell.  There was always joy and excitement on the face of our friends.  They’d welcome us into their home, find some snacks and drinks, usually pull out some playing cards, and we’d stay until it was time to go.  Kids went to the backyard or basement and found things to do.  If we stayed very late, we might be put to bed in the parents’ bedroom and then carried to the car later.

As much as I loved “paying a visit”, I remember even more fondly the times when another family would pay us a visit at our home.   The sound of a car pulling into the driveway and doors slamming would send us running to the windows to see who had dropped in and we’d get ready to entertain.

Those visits didn’t require us to do anything fancy.  You could serve popcorn and Kool-Aid and still get smiles.  Entertainment for adults involved cards, or horseshoes, or (gasp) Jarts!  Kids played Operation, or MouseTrap, or Don’t Break the Ice.  We didn’t watch TV or play video games.

In today’s culture, people stay very busy and don’t have extended time at home without a plan.  It isn’t considered appropriate to ring someone’s doorbell without calling ahead and making a plan.  If you know someone will be coming over, you plan special snacks and drinks, clean the house, prep the kids, and make everything just so.  Even neighbors stick to themselves and have lost the spontaneity of “paying a visit”.

But I’ve never been much for following the rules (well, some of them anyway).  Maybe I’m old-fashioned, but I still believe in “paying a visit” and I love when someone pays us a visit too.  Over the weekend, we dropped in on friends both Saturday and Sunday evening.  We didn’t call ahead or warn but we know each family well enough to be assured of a joyful reception.  Neither house was perfect but both were warm and welcoming.  We stayed longer than expected both times and the children were no worse for wear from a few missed hours of sleep.  We left both visits feeling refreshed and happy.

Trust me when I tell you to “pay a visit” sometime soon.  Let’s teach a new generation about the joy of dropping in.  It’s a good idea!

Hope you enjoyed the read.