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Maybe you recall my birthday post of 2016, you know, the one where I walked over snow to 7-11 to buy ice cream for breakfast and then oh! On the door of an abandoned store front I spied a sign saying a coffee and sandwich shop was coming soon.
Gee, I was excited that day. I'd wished over recent weeks that our neighborhood had a cafe I could walk to.
Well. The coffee shop opened that May and many times I walked past it on my way to yes, 7-11, for milk or eggs, etc. I'd covertly glance into the shop's windows and think, "Way cool! It almost resembles Luke's Diner (ala Gilmore Girls)--
--what with it's vintage formica tables, cafe curtains and cozy decor. I'd switch the milk to my other hand and think, "Someday I'll go there and take a book with me. How pleasant it would be to sit and gaze outside the tall window." A couple yard sale Saturdays I even asked Tom if he'd like to go, but (kinda weirdly) he always hem-hawed and we'd just drive by.
I walked past that place probably 20 times and for one whole year I procrastinated stepping inside. One whole year.
Then two weeks ago on my way to 7-11--oh dear! A 'For Rent' sign was taped to the door. Nooooo! I'd waited too long. I'd blown it. I'd procrastinated and assumed they'd be there longer.
Man, Debra.
“Of all sad words of tongue or pen, the saddest are these, 'It might have been.” ... John Greenleaf Whittier
Well, the shop appeared the same (tables neatly in place, etc.) and below the 'For Rent' sign was a letter so I stepped closer and read that the owners would love to see someone else make the cafe even better. Yet if anyone wanted to rent it for a different purpose, they'd auction off the furniture and supplies.
Eegads, I kicked myself all the way home. For days afterward, too, but I also promised that, should it open as a coffee shop again, I'd be one of their first customers.
I've often told you here that both Tom and I love supporting local businesses and we're naive enough to believe it makes a big difference. By ignoring the nudgings from Grace I'd felt the past month, especially, I missed my chance to help, to encourage, to have a cozy time of reading and enjoying a morning snack.
Don't let this happen to you.
Today's lesson? Never assume anything. And always obey those nudgings you even think might be from God and Grace.
Always, they know what's coming down the road.
“Only put off until tomorrow what you are willing to die having left undone”
― Pablo Picasso
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To end on a lighter, happier note, here's what I wrote at Facebook on Saturday morning (what a way to begin that day!) --
I opened our curtains this misty, moisty morning, stared out dreamily, then oh! A young man silently rode by on his old bike with a gorgeous white cockatoo leaning into the breeze upon the handle bars.
Don't you love it when that happens? (Happy sigh.)
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For those who also enjoy Unsolved Mysteries (the 'revamped ones' with Dennis Farina) you can watch them free here. Just look for any which do not have the little arrow pointing up and to the right. :)
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For those who also enjoy Unsolved Mysteries (the 'revamped ones' with Dennis Farina) you can watch them free here. Just look for any which do not have the little arrow pointing up and to the right. :)
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That is a lovely sight of the cockatoo to cheer you up. Yes, I like to support local businesses (my favorites are a hat company, a sock store, a feed store and 2 bookstores) and I understand how you are kicking yourself for not visiting the coffee shop. All we can do is learn and do better in future :)
ReplyDeleteAh, I'm so sorry you're having to kick yourself. I can imagine myself doing the same thing. We do get into such ruts don't we? We walk the same paths to the same stores or drive to them and never stop to check out things that aren't in our normal habit. I hope next time I see something of interest, I stop and not just think it will always be there. Love the cockatoo. It's those little sites that bring a lot of cheer? Blessings always, Betsy
ReplyDeleteI think it's so admirable and downright courageous when people launch new businesses. We try to patronize them, but sometimes they close before we get the chance.
ReplyDeleteYour story of seeing the cockatoo took me back twenty years. My daughter wanted a cockatiel in the worst way. She had a friend with one, so we "babysat" the bird when the family went away. My husband was not thrilled about the setup, but tried to be a good sport. Guess who the bird fell in love with? Yep...he flapped his wings and shrieked every time hub was in the house. We'd let him out to clean the cage and he'd perch on my husband's head. Our daughter was devastated that the bird ignored her, and she decided she didn't want one, after all. Isn't life a trip??