02/06/2025
You know how they say women get "Pregnancy Amnesia"? Meaning, we tend to forget all the pain and problems we experienced with our last pregnancies and childbirth, and only remember the good parts. I guess we're wired that way in order to continue populating the earth, otherwise we, as a species, would have died out long ago!
But we are wired that way, and not just in childbirth. I can't speak for men, but as a woman, I believe we're wired this way for many, if not all the trials of our lives. I believe it is our psyche that chooses to hold on to the joys of our past, more often than the pain. And that's a good thing! Otherwise, we may never attempt anything ever again! What our mind remembers should tell us more about the human condition. I'm not saying it only remembers the good stuff in every past experience. Of course not. That's by design. That's so we can learn from our past experiences in order to make better future decisions.
It's interesting to look back on different memories of experiences, and pay attention to how we feel about them.
Today, I'm remembering what it felt like when my (then) husband and I decided to quit our jobs and open a coffee shop. It was scary and exhilarating! We were willing to pour everything we had into its success. We were passionate about coffee, but had zero business experience. We did all the things we could think of to educate ourselves, and then we went for it. Big dreams. Huge!
Did we go over the top? Yep. It was absolutely beautiful when it was finished. Everything we had dreamed of. We named it Trade Winds Coffee Co. A tropical-themed space with the elevated espresso bar area being the focal point. Almost like a stage, framed in bamboo posts and covered in a thatched "roof". I would get asked by customers for the names of the warm tones that coated the walls. The lighting was spectacular. Not too bright, but illuminating targeted areas for just the right mood. The floor was a coppery stained concrete that just glowed. Our retail shelves featured neat rows of bagged coffee from all over. We had a map of the world on the wall showing the routes in which these coffees took to reach or destination. Large tropical plants softened the edges of the space, blurring the lines between straw-matted wainscoting and large bright windows that featured a view spanning the valley and mountains beyond. The whole space integrated the different parts of the world that produced coffee. An homage to Africa, South America, and Indonesia.
People came in from our little Pacific Northwest town, and as they crossed the threshold, their jaws would literally drop. They would first look up toward the vast black ceiling above, then left to right, taking in the ambience that they were not expecting. Inevitably, most would say something like, "It doesn't even feel like I'm in Wenatchee anymore!" We got that a lot :)
That. That was what did it for me. That feeling I got when I could transport someone to another place, another time. Of course, we played on all the other senses too. Trills of native and tribal music wafted through the air. Rhythmic beats that stirred the soul and lifted the spirits. Aromatic scents of freshly extracted espresso and buttery aromas of sweet breads flowed through the air, intermingling with the lights and shadows and music... By the time the customer made it to the counter to order, they were sold. They were mine. All they had to do was enjoy their cup, their whole experience, and recognize their neighbor, their friend, their business associate doing the same thing. And plan their next trip back.
This is what I remember about my first business. If I wanted to dig deeper, sure, I could remember all the doubt, frustration, sleepless nights, and stress that it took to get there, but my heart tells me to remember the way I helped people to FEEL. Because that's what they remember.
To this day, 25 years later, I still have people tell me what an amazing place Trade Winds Coffee Co. was. How there's never been anything like it since. How they made new friends there, or a great business deal, or just thank me for creating a space that, while it felt like a world away, also nurtured a sense of community.
And that's what I choose to remember :)
