Poem: “Coffee Shop Hullabaloo” The coffee shop is abuzz this morning with the usual noises: laughter, conversation, the whirl of coffee bean grinders, a tssk tssk of the steam wand and the gulp of satisfaction. beautiful complex humanity commonality surrounding their daily search for the life giving narcotic. their lives won’t start until they ingest the liquid black gold. coffee cup rings on a table mean life is happening. a woman who just had her third child — overwhelmed... Read more
We closed our coffee shop for two days—Christmas Eve and Christmas. As a newish small business we don’t have the cash reserves to cover two days’ loss of revenue, so a decision like this can weigh on me as a business owner. It wasn’t the easiest decision to make, but I believe money isn’t more important than people, and in this case, our employees. I own a coffee shop called Proust Coffee. We value quality over quantity and consistency over... Read more
“Measure of life” seemingly nothing, but also everything in life is measured. we’ve been conditioned to measure by critique not gratitude. what does it mean to have a heart full of gratitude? take everyday observations: a pencil and a blank piece of paper can be used for declaring acts of war. but can also be used for words that give life and healing. the act of the sun rising and the moon falling can signal a new day of... Read more
What’s so amazing about grace? This is a question I have been asking myself for quite awhile now. At first glance, it’s a question which appears to have a quick and easy answer, but as I sojourn through life I’ve discovered it’s a mixed up word with a mixed up message. All the things that make us love and hate this world can cause us to question or doubt what makes grace so amazing. I own a coffee shop. I... Read more
Joe Puentes
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