Hullo, friends:

I’ve been musing recently a lot about things being, well, a lot. (Musing is perhaps a kind word. Whining may be better.)

But I know I’m not alone, at least in the feeling that things are a lot right now. You may be more disciplined about the whining bit than I am. But it feels hard and tiring and overwhelming out there in a particular way right now.

It can feel really challenging to do our work in the world when it feels like things are a lot. It can be hard to feel that what we’re offering is important or relevant enough to place alongside some of the terribly hard things that are happening around us, whether it’s nearby or half of a planet away. And to avoid feeling like we are just another cog in the ‘make more consume more do more’ wheel that spins faster and louder all the time. It can be exhausting, and leave us feeling empty.

In my case, right now, I’m working hard to entice folks to join us at a series of gatherings this winter at Spillian. They matter in part because they hold open our ongoing sense of being a place about possibility and imagination and play and reveling in important ways. (And I love them. And they make me giggle.) And they matter because they are a way to keep our staff on over a quieter winter season. (And we love them and want them to be happy and fed and giggling, too.)

And I hope these gatherings maybe can matter for you because they might provide a little break when it feels like things are a lot. And if we do it right, they maybe can fill up a bit of the manic emptiness and fatigue that can hit this time of year.

I do know that when folks come to them, they get fed. Not only by Chef Christian’s amazing food, and by the magic that resides in the walls at Spillian from generations of people finding joy and kindness there, but also by the magic of their fellow revelers.  And by a chance to step aside for a moment, take a breath, and exhale, and steal a night away.

If you’re feeling like it’s all a lot right now, I’d love to extend you a special invitation to join us so we can feed you. And even maybe make you giggle, too.

In December, we’re offering two Reveler’s Rubatos, cocktails and dinner and blazing fires and twinkly lights and a chance to stay overnight with us if you’d like.

In a musical score, tempo rubato invites musicians into expressive freedom as they play. In Italian, tempo rubato literally means “stolen time.”

 

Learn more about Reveler’s Rubatos and the rest of our winter season here. 

We sure would love to see you. Please reach out if you’ve got any questions

All the very best,

Leigh

PS: In the spirit of giggling, I’d like to introduce you to Allie of the brilliant blog Hyperbole and a Half and her Alot Monster. Check it out here.

PPS: In the spirit of a-lot-ness, one of our challenges at the moment is a persnickety reservation system. (Ahhh, technology.) If you have any problems making a reservation, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us! We will happily arrange to take your info over the phone.