I realize in my “About Me” video my brother edited me saying “eating with friends” like a million times. Probably because its true.  I also confess that the shot of me picking up crumbs and eating them off the ground was not staged. I didn’t even know the camera was on me. Real sanitary, Joy.

Eating breakfast with friends is my favorite way to stuff my face.  But there are some components that make it the absolute perfect breakfast:

1) One on one. I can’t focus when there are multiple conversations happening or people talking over each other.

2) Restaurants with a few customers or no one at all. Similar to #1, I have a difficult time not listening to another tables convo, and that takes too much energy.

3) Booths.

4) Tables with actual cloth table cloths or nothing at all.  The ones that have butcher paper as table cloths FREAK ME OUT! Does anyone else panic at the high risk of reaching for the syrup and paper cutting your hand off? I do. (I highly suggest folding the paper under for a stress-free breakfast.)

5) Good coffee and and mugs that keep the heat. (Clear glass mugs should be banned from this world.)

I would enjoy breakfast regardless, but if those aesthetic things were in place, I would be one happy eggs-benedict lovin’ girl.

The real reason I love breakfast with friends is because:

1) I often get up earlier than normal.

2) We share stories, connect, and laugh.

3) We generally hug hello and good-bye.

4) We pray over our meal and our day.

5) I force them to give me bites of their food.

I have had back to back days of breakfast with close friends. My friend Liesl and I ate at the new Cafe Magnolia in Portland before she dropped me off for my flight to San Diego.  Then this morning at 7am I went to Cafe 222 with my friend Alair from college who lives here in town. Both were fantastic starts to the day. We get very busy with our routines, and can even get in the habit of skipping breakfast. (Ok, I never have, but I know some people do.)

I would encourage you to ask someone to grab breakfast this week. You never know who you might be able to encourage over coffee, but if for nothing else, I promise the laughter and pancakes will re-frame any regular day.