Last week, I was further up north in the middle of Michigan helping a small practice go live on our health system’s EMR.

I love getting out of the office and helping with go lives. It takes me back to my days at Allscripts and reminds me that I still have a calmness in the face of a storm that got me through 3 years of implementing EMRs across the country.

I had an experience at this practice that was entirely unexpected. About midweek, someone suggested the idea of a potluck on Friday. Seeing that we had all already clicked pretty well, it wasn’t surprising that the mere suggestion was quickly taken as fact by everyone as we gave previews of what we might bring.

I told everyone about a chip dip we call “Normandin Dip” (recipe below) in my family. This simple concoction of cream cheese, miracle whip, and an ungodly amount of onion always causes my family to hover around the island during Thanksgiving, when it makes its annual appearance. Addictive doesn’t start to describe it.

So on Friday, we all came in with our special dishes creating a smorgasbord of top-notch family recipes.

Venison Stew. Whipped Pumpkin Spice Dip on Graham Cracker Cookies. Creamy Coleslaw. Baked Beans. Cheesy Potatoes. Fresh Tossed Salad. Refried Bean Taco Dip.

One of the doctors started it when he said, “This is so cool! I love that this happened!”

Every few minutes as we ate, talked, and laughed, another person would come to the same realization, as if it wasn’t already said: “This is so awesome! Everyone brought incredible dishes! I love it!”

And so on and so on. It was like an echo chamber of positivity and appreciation. Each time someone acknowledged it, it just crescendoed again and we all nodded and took another bite of something even more delicious because of the good vibe.

Looking back, I can safely say it was my best experience with food. It makes me smile to think back about it.

More proof that thoughts are things and positive ones are contagious.

Normandin Dip

16oz Cream Cheese
6 – 8 oz of Miracle Whip
One medium-to-large red onion

Soften the cream cheese at room temperature. Chop the onions and add them to the cream cheese. Beat the mixture together with a hand blended or fork (we think getting the juices out of the onions with a hard beat is part of the secret). Add Miracle Whip (at least 6oz) to the desired consistency.

Leave in fridge over night. Serve with Ruffles or similarly strong chips. The dip tends to break them.