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Yesterday morning's chai tea latte. Photographed with Nikon Coolpix.
You don't often hear people describing Houston as "breathtaking" or "magical." Years of urban sprawl and lack of any thoughtful zoning have rendered the city a maze of strip malls; coupled with the hot, humid summers, Houston rarely makes the top ten of any "Coolest US Cities to Visit" lists. Since I've lived in Houston for a total of 20-something years now, I often find myself wistful when I visit more "user friendly" cities: walkable cities, cities with more effective mass transit, more plentiful green spaces; cities located in more topographically-interesting areas. Wouldn't it be wonderful to live here, I think to myself. One day. One day I'll settle in a really beautiful town. It will happen.
Then I'll end up having a morning like yesterday morning: mornings where I visit a great independently-owned coffeehouse, located in a pretty, architecturally-pleasing space, a spot that makes the best chai tea latte in the state, where the baristas greet you with a cheery "hello" and the strangers smile when they catch your eye, because, frankly, that's just the Houston way. And I'm reminded of the message in that lovely Disney/Pixar movie, UP, that lesson that even though it's good to have goals, perhaps every now and then we should take a break from pining for That Other Life, that Longed-For Adventure, lest we miss the Grand Adventure that's happening right before our very eyes, right here, right now.
I hope you enjoy your adventure today.
Song: More than this by Vanessa Carlton
Tuesday, September 1, 2009 at 12:00AM
Reader Comments (25)
You speak the truth, my friend!
Hmmm... while I'm here... I sent you an email at your gmail account sometime last month (I was in Houston, and hoped to get together), but I never heard back. Did you receive it?
Now I want a chai. And all those pens. Sigh.
I worked in Houston for four summers and although crazy hot and humid, I loved so many of the little coffee shops like this one.
Indeed.
While I could have been wasting my day wishing I was in Hawaii with my boyfriend and his best friends I instead had a Grand Adventure here in wet, windy Wellington by: harvesting a perfectly formed cauliflower from our veggie garden; writing another 3000 wds (yippee); clearing out my drawers and setting aside a pile of clothes to go away once and for all; talking on the phone to a dear friend for two hours (yes, two hours!); writing a blog post about deciding to answer my own question; and cooked a big pot of black beans and mushrooms for one. Ah. Life is grand.
Your posts never disappoint. I wake each morning and share a cup of coffee with you. And yes ... life is Grand!!!
Well said, Karen. I needed to hear that today.
Well said, well said and such a great reminder to chill the hell out and be in the moment.
That's how I live each day. I don't like living where we are (blue girl living in the reddest of the red states, don't get me started on grocery stores or lack of good ones). We plan on moving in a year or so to a place where we really want to live. But I am here now, so I make the best of it. Some times it's that one perfect neighborhood street I motor down on the scooter or it's the walk I take outside when I'm at work. Simple things.
Thanks for the post - it was just what I needed to read this morning to be reminder to enjoy today for today. Wishing you a day of bliss!
Thank you! I needed that this post so much. I'm trying very hard to be happy with right now, instead of always planning for "I'll be happy when..."
Have a great day!
Shosh
Jerusalem, Israel
Such wisdom. I, too, fall prey to the "someday" fantasy (not about where I live - I'm in Portland, the most beautiful city on earth IMHO) but about other things in my life. When I'm in that state, I do miss out on what's right in front of me. Thanks for the gentle reminder.