As president of NNV, I often get compliments about what we do well, how great the staff is, and how much NNV means to our community. Every once in a while, I get a suggestion about what else we could be doing. If the suggestion involves staff time, I bring it to our board, discuss it with staff, and together we decide whether the suggestion is something we can act on. Sometimes, though, the suggestion makes so much sense and is so obvious that, in the words of NIKE, we just do it. And that is how we started the monthly NNV men’s lunch.

I don’t know why we had not been doing this forever. I hope that it will continue and become a core part of our activities. We have had three to date, with as many as 12 participants, in different restaurants in Northwest D.C. The quality and quantity of the food is less important than the conversation or conversations since we are in search of the elusive round table that will enable us to have one conversation instead of several. In fact, the most important criterion for where we eat is whether the restaurant will give us separate checks.

As far as I can tell from my end of the rectangular table, we have yet to tackle US-China relations, nuclear disarmament, or whether Originalism is an appropriate way to interpret the laws of the land.  Maybe we will. Then again, maybe we won’t. 

We have discussed changes to the neighborhood, older homes being replaced by larger and usually uglier ones, our kids and grandkids, foreign adoptions, travel to places near and far, books, and many other subjects. 

When we next meet, we may debate whether Willie Mays was, in fact, the best all-around baseball player of all time, who won the presidential debate, and peace in the Middle East. Or maybe we won’t. 

We don’t have an agenda, we don’t transcribe the conversations, we don’t take or circulate minutes or even who attended. It is just a bunch of guys sharing thoughts for 90 minutes or so, getting to know each other, becoming friends. 

I encourage you to join us. The next Men's Lunch is August 1st at East West Cafe in Tenleytown. Click here to register.