having a beer with pizza is nice. It’s classic. But having a bottle of wine at dinner, now that’s the ticket.

Having my own pizza joint, I haven’t enjoyed a Friday night with friends around a table eating pizza and drinking, I haven’t enjoyed that much. Maybe all those words strung together don’t make sense and I get that. I have been working and working and working. Instead of finding joy in having dinner with friends on a Friday night, I have found my joy in creating a space for others to find that joy.

tonight we were saying goodbye to our Ukrainian friends. Nazar and Mariana, who came from our invitation through a government program, to Gainesville 2 years ago. Nazar 16, bright eyed and bushy tailed, reminded me of my own son, (22 at the time.) Mariana, the devoted mother, ready to sacrifice any crazy scheme for her smart boy. Aleksander, the father who is a construction worker, and cannot leave the country because he may be drafted until he’s 60. He’s a year older than me now at 59. We invite them here, (sponsor them if you will,) and they are granted a 2 year visa, to escape the war, and for opportunity no doubt. The visa expires, so back to Ukraine they go. Tonight was the going away party. Tonight was the celebration of our time together party. There were 2 other Ukrainian couples tonight that have been involved in our time with them also. Our mutual friend Mia came. Caroline is a glue to everyone too, she keeps informed about everyone’s lives.

So there were 4 of us who shared some Chardonnay. Drinking white wine just opens me right up like a giddy goofball. It never feels too strong or heavy. It allows me to enjoy hanging out, even if I’m probably being too loud. Every time I look at my wife she’s doing the slash across the throat thing… I have no idea what I’m doing wrong almost every time but I try to dial back my glee and general loudness.

I don’t mean that in a bad way. It’s actually a good thing. People need their partner that balances them. I can get crazy and my lady reels me in gently. We laugh. We get each other. But by now in life our paces are so so different. I’m running laps around her and I’ve slowed way the hell down. She’s mostly standing still while my roller coaster whirls by her head every 15 minutes. Big hug, little kiss, little kiss, little hug, big kiss.

N & M go back to Ukraine, via Hungary, and then off again after a visit, but where? So many new things happened to them here. Their first Krispy Kreme doughnut. The first time seeing the ocean. The first time in a plane (to get here.) The first taco. The first sushi. The first kite. what is a blender… Mariana learned to ride a bike. Nazar learned to drive a car. Nazar took archery classes, joined the rock gym and crunch fitness. They went to St. Patrick’s Church every Sunday without fail. We dropped them off every Sunday for so long. I would take them and Caroline would pick them up and then they would all shop at Aldi. Eventually they learned to drive themselves to church and Aldi.

Within the first week Mariana noticed the neighbors laundry line and indicated she wanted one. I bought the kind that accordions out and spins. I’m determined to start drying my own favorite tshirts out there after they leave, in their honor. This kid is so smart. He’s like genius level smart I’m not even kidding. He was able to tackle any computer problems we could imagine and so many things I couldn’t have imagined. He helped my business in incredible ways and was so quick to respond to every query. It almost got to feel like he was our entire IT, coding, and app development department. One 17 year old kid who learned English on Youtube and scored a 1470 on the SAT on his first try ,without special courses, also learned guitar via Youtube, and got his mother and himself out of a country at war and into the sauce that is Satchel’s Pizza. He’s been a special kid. I’m excited to see what he gets up to. Hopefully it will be more opportunity. We’re pushing towards Ireland lately. There are some real upsides to Ireland, but it’s expensive.

Hanging out with our friends, having wine and pizza, time stood still for a few minutes there. Expanding my comprehension of the globe, by considering these neighbors lives, and their potential alternate realities, that make them refugees and wanderers…. I can’t help but consider our shared humanity. I traveled so much in my 20’s and people were kind to me. I learned that the world was so big and so friendly. Every time we give something we are given more in return. My business was built on this philosophy. If I am successful I should give away more and more because I am thankful, and when I am thankful and giving, more and more is given to me. I can always give more away, and I can always be more thankful, but there is a principle at play. I am noticing the underlying law.

This is not the kind of writing inspired by pizza and beer. Pizza and beer is a recipe to make a metaphor about football and my customers. Pizza and beer might be the writing that leads to unlocking the key to the Universe itself. No, pizza and wine is a ticket to nostalgia. It’s a romance with pizza and friendships formed. It’s a consideration of something bigger and a reminder that it’s just another Friday night.

If you like to drink alcohol with dinner I encourage you to try a bottle of wine. It hits different, as the kids briefly said. If you don’t drink alcohol that’s wonderful too because you don’t need that part to find the transcendent beauty of an evening out with friends, pizza, good atmosphere and proper lightning. I missed that part of my life for sooooo long because I was always the host. I remember the years, not so long ago, when I would notice the people having fun with their friends and their pizza and the pitchers, and I longed to be them. I wanted to be able to enjoy an evening at the table instead of in the stress and weight of my role as host. But I always pushed those feelings aside and hosted on, which is fine because I love my job.

Tonight was great. I mean it’s sad too. Nazar was excited at possibly attending the University of florida. It’s great that we got to know each other and learn new things, and it’s sad that our country is in a phase where we are not willing to accept the foreigner from a country that Russia is bombing. America is also at war, and we are bombing people in Iran. Tonight was great and drinking wine with dinner is so fun and our friends have to pack their lives into 2 suitcases and drive to Orlando in just over a week, and fly to Budapest, and catch a bus back into Ukraine. Wine with dinner is so great. I just open up and start having fun, and then add pizza? Oh man, what could be better?