Life Desk :
Science supports common sense…positive relationships with friends and family are directly linked to happiness and overall life satisfaction.
If strengthening community ties is the golden ticket to a happy life, why isn’t everyone doing it? Community may not be as easily found as walking out the front door. Traditional sources of regular social interaction-religion, family, and neighborhood front porches-are less prevalent than those of previous generations.
Arguably parents of school-aged children would have the best shot at creating and maintaining a like-minded, mutually supportive network, with kids who need to be in the same place at the same time as a practical link. But overscheduled kids, particularly those requiring choreographed drop-offs to school, lessons, and soccer, leave little time for casual chatter between parents. Even the limited opportunity for socialization of kiddie car pooling is reduced with the launch of services like Shuddle. Known as the Uber for Kids, Shuddle is based in Oakland, CA, providing overburdened parents pre-scheduled transportation with vetted child-care providers. To allay security concerns, it combines more carefully screened drivers with mobile technology so parents can track the whereabouts of their kids while they are en route.
While people recognize the importance of creating and fostering a community of friends and family to live healthy, fulfilling lives, barriers such as time, lifestyle, and unrealistic expectations are very real. Ironically, as the need for interactions has increased, so have “Martha Stewart” standards for perfection, making the likelihood of a low-impact gathering an unflattering reflection of the host. High-end entertaining can be contagious among social circles, with retailers benefitting from commitment to quality home entertaining. Restoration Hardware has alluded to their pending expansion into the kitchen category. Williams-Sonoma continues to expand their vibrant franchise with launch of the TK line by All-Clad, designed by iconic chef Thomas Keller, and launch of a proprietary everyday line, Open Kitchen.
But even with the best equipment, entertaining can be hard work, especially for busy parents. Moira McDonald, working mother of two, is an accomplished entertainer and frequently hosts gatherings for her family and large circle of friends. “It’s not always easiest to entertain at home but everyone is generally most relaxed and tends to spend more time together there so I make it a priority.”
This week San Francisco residents got a new option to restaurant group dinners or toiling on a home dinner party, thanks to the launch of a new service called Kitchit Tonight. Just place a phone call by 1pm and have a dinner party for 2-12 people that night (though anyone who’s set up a dinner party would prefer a week or two to schedule).
Kitchit offers three signature menus with a starter, entrée, and dessert. Vegetarian and gluten-free options are also available-all for the very affordable price of $39 per person. Menu options rotate on a weekly basis. Kid menus are available for $9 per child. Thirty minutes before the first course is served, a Kitchit chef arrives at the customer’s home with all of the ingredients, cooks and serves each dish, and even cleans up the kitchen afterward. All the host needs to do is eat and enjoy an uninterrupted meal with friends and family.
More convenient opportunities to further community are not only important to life satisfaction…they are literally important for good health. In fact, absence of close personal ties presents the same level of health risk as smoking or obesity, according to the Oxford Handbook of Positive Psychology. Ostensibly mall walking in a nonsmoking venue hits the trifecta for a long and happy life. For the non-mall-walking population, as the need for community increases and hurdles to connection remain, Kitchit and other innovative ways to make gatherings easier will be key ingredients to life’s recipe for happiness.
– Kathleen Kusek, Forbes
Science supports common sense…positive relationships with friends and family are directly linked to happiness and overall life satisfaction.
If strengthening community ties is the golden ticket to a happy life, why isn’t everyone doing it? Community may not be as easily found as walking out the front door. Traditional sources of regular social interaction-religion, family, and neighborhood front porches-are less prevalent than those of previous generations.
Arguably parents of school-aged children would have the best shot at creating and maintaining a like-minded, mutually supportive network, with kids who need to be in the same place at the same time as a practical link. But overscheduled kids, particularly those requiring choreographed drop-offs to school, lessons, and soccer, leave little time for casual chatter between parents. Even the limited opportunity for socialization of kiddie car pooling is reduced with the launch of services like Shuddle. Known as the Uber for Kids, Shuddle is based in Oakland, CA, providing overburdened parents pre-scheduled transportation with vetted child-care providers. To allay security concerns, it combines more carefully screened drivers with mobile technology so parents can track the whereabouts of their kids while they are en route.
While people recognize the importance of creating and fostering a community of friends and family to live healthy, fulfilling lives, barriers such as time, lifestyle, and unrealistic expectations are very real. Ironically, as the need for interactions has increased, so have “Martha Stewart” standards for perfection, making the likelihood of a low-impact gathering an unflattering reflection of the host. High-end entertaining can be contagious among social circles, with retailers benefitting from commitment to quality home entertaining. Restoration Hardware has alluded to their pending expansion into the kitchen category. Williams-Sonoma continues to expand their vibrant franchise with launch of the TK line by All-Clad, designed by iconic chef Thomas Keller, and launch of a proprietary everyday line, Open Kitchen.
But even with the best equipment, entertaining can be hard work, especially for busy parents. Moira McDonald, working mother of two, is an accomplished entertainer and frequently hosts gatherings for her family and large circle of friends. “It’s not always easiest to entertain at home but everyone is generally most relaxed and tends to spend more time together there so I make it a priority.”
This week San Francisco residents got a new option to restaurant group dinners or toiling on a home dinner party, thanks to the launch of a new service called Kitchit Tonight. Just place a phone call by 1pm and have a dinner party for 2-12 people that night (though anyone who’s set up a dinner party would prefer a week or two to schedule).
Kitchit offers three signature menus with a starter, entrée, and dessert. Vegetarian and gluten-free options are also available-all for the very affordable price of $39 per person. Menu options rotate on a weekly basis. Kid menus are available for $9 per child. Thirty minutes before the first course is served, a Kitchit chef arrives at the customer’s home with all of the ingredients, cooks and serves each dish, and even cleans up the kitchen afterward. All the host needs to do is eat and enjoy an uninterrupted meal with friends and family.
More convenient opportunities to further community are not only important to life satisfaction…they are literally important for good health. In fact, absence of close personal ties presents the same level of health risk as smoking or obesity, according to the Oxford Handbook of Positive Psychology. Ostensibly mall walking in a nonsmoking venue hits the trifecta for a long and happy life. For the non-mall-walking population, as the need for community increases and hurdles to connection remain, Kitchit and other innovative ways to make gatherings easier will be key ingredients to life’s recipe for happiness.
– Kathleen Kusek, Forbes
