Seize the Day

We've rolled into November folks. I know, I can't believe it either. The weather the past couple of weeks has been nothing short of spectacular, though I can't help but feel that the Oregon winter we all know too well is just around the corner. Recently I have left the house each morning by stepping out into a cool dryness, and I stop for just a moment and take a deep breath, savoring the fact that the lasting rains have not arrived. Not yet.
Cafe life is becoming, dare I say it, comfortable. Just two months ago, every day was a new adventure, and we could count that a mini-emergency would occur each day. Also daily were the grocery runs, with us never quite able to remember the entire shopping list on a given trip. Now the days fly by without too many bumps along the way. We have learned how to shop more efficiently, and while still shop frequently, our method is less frantic. We are beginning to have free time to do things that we simply did not have time to do just a few weeks ago.
We have learned a great deal. Certainly we still don't feel like the professionals we hope to later become, but the learning curve has been steep, and we feel as though we are approaching the summit of the first hill along our long journey. "The beginning" is now behind us, and we have entered the next chapter, one I will refer to as the "now what?" era. We have many ideas for the cafe's immediate future, but how we will make it all work will only be figured out over time. One thing I struggle with most is focusing on the present, and allowing the future to work itself out. Again, the recent good weather has made this part easy.
For now, I'll offer another thank you. Thank you for making our opening greater than we ever could have expected. You relieved us of a lot of stress that we never had to face because of your patronage. And for that, we are humbled and grateful. Thank you for making us your morning coffee stop, thank you for stopping in for a pastry or a quick lunch, thank you for indulging in our homemade ice cream, and thank you for riding out on all of your diverse and colorful bicycles.