Tricia and I work opposite shifts.

I wake up at 5:30 in the morning, get ready for work, we say our groggy goodbyes and I don't see her again until dinner. After dinner, we part and don’t meet again until our next early morning encounter.

It's a maddening cycle that continues through the work week, with an all too short respite on the weekends.

For this reason, we always try to make the most of that dinner hour. That's our time, and we both work hard to keep others from intruding upon it.

We decided early on that because dinner time is our one chance during the day to catch up with one another and truly be ourselves, it'd be a time of relaxation and comfort around the dinner table. But, as often happens, we've gotten a bit lax as of late.

Too often, the hustle of work and life in general keeps us from enjoying this time to the fullest. We seldom get a chance to sit down and enjoy a meal and discussion on its own. We get bogged down with chores and errands and find ourselves scarfing down our dinner like it's just another task to cross off the "to-do" list.

Oh, and cooking? I'm ashamed to admit how difficult it is to justify cooking a real-deal meal with so little time and for just two people. And I know a lot of other people are in the same boat as we are.

We are lucky, as a nation constantly moving at terminal velocity, to have the National Pork Board (and not just because bacon and pork chops are so darned tasty). In their infinite wisdom these purveyors of porcine goodness have taken it upon themselves to provide us with a yearly reminder of the importance of taking time to gather around the table for dinner. Since 1996 they have sponsored National Eat Dinner Together Week, an effort to get the American family back into their seats around the dinner table.

From Sept. 16 through 22, I hope you get a chance to enjoy the company of your own friends and family around the supper table.

Visit the NEDTW Web site: http://www.togetherfordinner.com/.

Download Some Recipes for Inspiration: http://www.togetherfordinner.com/aspx/dinnertimesolutions.aspx.