Mmm Coffee...

Coffee became a staple in my life at the tender age of nineteen. I was working at my first salon job after finishing school as an assistant to our salon director. Each morning he would come in, hand me a few bills instructing me to get a Starbucks latte for him and I was to order whatever I wanted. I declined many times, unsure of what exactly to get. I had never ordered coffee before. I had no idea what anything was or what I would like. One day, out of the blue, I decided to order a caramel macchiato. All it took was one sip of the sugary sweet goodness and I was hooked. Not only did I ride an enormous daily sugar high, but with caffeine, I could conquer the world. My brain buzzed, I moved faster than my already high energy self moves, and with my new “friend” I could easy “check-out” of the demands being placed on me to run around with super human strength and a thousand-watt smile. No exceptions.
When assisting ended and being a stylist began, coffee still fueled my life. I moved from the sugary goodness of the macchiato to lattes, to Americanos to black coffee, back to americanos. I went from always drinking Starbucks to the more independent shops in Atlanta. I had fallen truly, madly, deeply in love. My favorites consisted of San Francisco Coffee in the Virginia Highlands (all three locations), Octane in west midtown when I had the time to drive out there, and Inman Perk. I began each and every morning at one of these places, inhaling the sweet bread smell of San Fran, watching the sun rise through the massive windows of Inman Perk, or lean against an exposed brick wall at Octane. I visited other places but these were my usual spots. I wrote for hours. In my journal, in tiny notebooks, on my laptop, for my blog, you name it. The day didn’t feel right if I didn’t spend some time with myself in the company of caffeine, pen and paper before starting whatever task I needed to do for the day be it work, errands, a long run, or plans with friends.
Shortly after moving to Chicago I found Alliance Bakery and was introduced to Intelligentsia coffee. My roommate at the time Kaci, raved about Intelligentsia. (She first had it in southern CA where she’s from.) I became an instant fan myself. Being at Alliance was a really emotional time for me. I didn’t feel homesick, and was pleased with my choice to trade Atlanta’s excruciating summers for Chicago’s brutal winters but being away from what I grew up surrounded by, being and feeling open, and vulnerable to a new place, new experiences and new people left me feeling like I could purge some stuff I had squashed down to make room for these new things. I didn’t expect any of this and…went with it. I believe I cried every single day at Alliance. I stared out the window, watching the snow fall during my first few months here mesmerized by it’s silent beauty. Sundays were the best days. I generally didn’t work (I went back to being an assistant when I moved here.) and got to take that day strictly for myself. There was no rush for anything, just a large Americano, a seat in the window, and my journal or laptop. I allowed my mind to wander, sometimes barely writing and sometimes writing so much my hands couldn’t keep up with my head.
Then… Lovely was discovered. Again, Kaci informed me of it’s existence. It was closer to our place than Alliance and also served Intelligentsia coffee. Upon walking in the door, it was love at first sight. All those wooden tables, mismatched chairs, cute mugs hanging on the wall, pastry shelves filled with muffins, tarts, cupcakes, and jars of cookies, not to mention the delicious coffee…this place was like being enveloped in a warm hug by a favorite person. It has always felt like a “home” to me. I’ve gotten to know the people that work there, they know I always order an Americano and a Pellegrino. I usually sit in the back now as opposed to a middle table I loved when I first discovered Lovely. I find it cathartic to stare out of the huge window when my brain needs to wander a bit from my writing. I love watching the cars and bikes coast by, the rain or snow fall or see how the sunshine makes the leaves on the trees extra green in the warmer months.
I spend each morning of my days off there but when working nothing compares to the Unicorn café in Evanston. When assisting ended in Chicago and I went back to being a stylist, I was placed at our Evanston location. I am up before the sun on most days, on a train up north to have a quiet hour or so before the madness of work with yet another Americano and my journal.
I lose my mind when I can’t write before work. I feel it’s the only time I energy for myself before I need to give it away being a service provider and all. At the end of my day I’m usually too spent to string words together into sentences. There is something so delightful about writing in the morning…yourself? What routines must you accomplish before heading out into the world? Maybe you have an evening or afternoon routine you can’t be without. Tell me ‘bout it…