On Wednesdays, I have coffee shop days with myself! — I pack up my laptop, notebooks, pepper spray, and whatever other belongings I think I might need to go anywhere in the city. I’ve stayed near campus some weeks, and I’ve moved further out on others. I love hunting for Black owned cafes to go to the most, but I’ve also spent days at more familiar chain spots like Starbucks. I’ve perfected metro transfer systems, and I’ve learned how to use Google maps for long walks. I’m free of cares in some areas, but I’ve walked very carefully through other places. I’ve tried coffees, juices, nutella waffles, teas, and croissants. I’ve made friends along the way sometimes, and other times I’ve stayed to myself. Anything really goes on coffee shop days! The most important thing to know is that we grow from creating sacred times to just flow with ourselves.
Coffee shop days have turned into a mini self-tradition for me this year, and they really mean the most. They’re a way to celebrate my manifestations coming into fruition. They let me express my newfound freedom and independence. And most of all, they honor the younger versions of myself that sometimes feared everything new or doubted her worthiness in this world.
This Wednesday I find myself comfortable here at Lewi Cafe in Silver Spring Maryland.
I ordered a mango smoothie (my go-to!) and a Nutella waffle before choosing to sit at a cute orange booth with an aesthetically pleasing view of the rest of the cafe. Shortly after I got here, Shawn, a stranger turned “friend,” arrived with all of his energy. It didn’t take long until he spoke to me and ended up sharing his singing gifts with me, as well as some other wholesome jokes and conversation.
This cafe looks to be Ethiopian owned. I’ve learned over time that a lot of them here are. In fact, before I came to Lewi’s, I was at another Ethiopian spot approximately 5 minutes away called Kefa Cafe. There, the kindest lady took my tea order, saw my face, and insisted that I must be an Ethiopian like herself! I was most flattered for the compliment! Unfortunately their indoor seating wasn’t available so I took my tea and decided to walk about 30 minutes out to a park I found on Google called Silgo Creek Trail.
Where that park is? I STILL have no idea. I swear I followed the exact instructions provided to me by Google maps and ended up in somebody’s high end neighborhood. I tried and tried and tried, but as I walked, the neighborhoods just kept getting bigger and fancier, so I decided to head back downtown to give Lewi a try!
Although my walk back from being lost was quite the unfortunate situation, I did have time to think about my younger self and how she’d be so proud to see me in womanhood today.
To anyone else, being able to live so spontaneously might not be such a huge feat, but to her, it’s definitely an accomplishment . There was a point in time that I didn’t have as much trust in the Universe and I wondered endlessly about if everything would turn out okay for me. Sometimes, my fears about growing up ruled over me so powerfully that I created limits for myself. I didn’t think that I could actually be a city-girl like I’d always dreamed of doing. I definitely didn’t know that I could depend on myself as much as I can. I didn’t even trust myself to be prepared for opportunities when they came.
Having everything at your hands is a huge responsibility.
On my coffee shop today, I’m feeling very grateful for my ability count on the woman I’m becoming. I’m confident that she’ll seize all of the opportunities in front of her and make the very most of her blessings. I’m so proud of her for knowing how to work through her fears a lot better than she once did. She exercises unconditional faith in the Universe and gratitude more than anyone that I know. I’m thinking that those two things alone are what gets us through anything, and allows us to achieve everything!
A Word By, Wisdom