cup of joe.

i love coffee.

i love the taste.

i love the smell.

i love the warmth.

i love it all.

for those of you who do not know, 
i come from a long sibling line of baristas.

Caleb was a barista.
Levi is a barista.
I am a barista.
Gabe probably will never be a barista.

but, you get my point.

Most of my family loves coffee and everything 
that has to do coffee.

This coffee obsession has lead to 
a coffee SHOP obsession.

From Starbucks, to the most 
independent coffee shop there is,
I adore and cherish each coffee shop in this county.

This is something that some people get...
and others...
not so much.

It has become a normal habit of mine
to sit in a coffee shop with 
a really good book,
or good music,
or good Jesus time,
or good friends
for hours upon hours.

my record is 9 straight hours.
but I am going to break it soon.
hopefully.

you see,
there is something so very therapeutic to me
about sitting in a coffee shop.

I was talking to a friend about it earlier
this evening and it just hit
me again how much peace and joy
I have found whilst in a coffee shop.

I am an extrovert.
I love people.
A lot.

I also love being around people.
When I go through periods of time when 
I am not constantly surrounded by people,
I sink into a kind of depression
and self-esteem low.
I focus on all the negative and don't allow
myself to think on anything in a positive manner.

This has been a big problem for me
over the past couple years.
Coffee shops have given me a second option.
Sometimes I NEED to be away from the people
who are in my life 24/7.
sometimes I NEED to be alone.
but sometimes being alone doesn't mean
being by yourself.

hear me out.

being alone for me is being in my own space
with my own things going on.
for instance, sitting in Starbucks with a book
and headphones in my ears with nothing playing...
the headphones are to keep people from distracting me.
I love to eavesdrop...

being alone doesn't necessarily mean BEING ALONE.
Maybe this makes no sense to you...
but it makes sense to me in my screwed up head.
so go with it.

coffee shops have created an environment
where I can be by myself
in the middle of the chaos that is not my own.

and that is so beautiful to me.

on the other end of the spectrum,
coffee shops are my favorite social setting.
i can spend hours sitting with friends
talking and catching up on life
or sharing what God is doing in our lives
or meeting new, fantastic people.

and that is also so beautiful to me.

coffee shops have also been 
a place where I spend beautiful
moments with the Lord.
they have been a place where
He had revealed things to me
and shown me things in new perspectives.
They have been a place where I 
have met people whom I adore
who have passion and love for Christ.

and that is most beautiful to me. 

So as my coffee shop obsession increases,
I will continue to budget my money in 
order to support the addiction.
I will continue to allow myself time
to BE alone in a coffee shop.
Even at school when it sometimes means
driving to Springfield for the afternoon.
Because it is therapy that I can afford
and therapy that I have easy access to.

I'll drink to that...