Homes Away From Home

Roughly a year ago, my favorite of all the neighborhood coffee establishments (of which there are several...this is Portland after all) went out of business. I was devastated. They made incredible espresso drinks and wonderful food. It was the best place to sit and write and I loved going there when I needed to get out of the house.

While I can write at home (most of my novels have been written there), sometimes it's good to get out of your most familiar surroundings to shake things up. If I'm experiencing what is most commonly known as Writer's Block, I find it helpful to go for a walk, get some exercise, or just change venues. It's nice to have a place close to home so you don't spend too much time traveling back and forth. My cafe was all that and more. A great table to work at with plenty of windows to watch the people on the street passing by and handy outlets to recharge.

Since then, I've been feeling homeless. There are plenty of great places within 1-4 miles of my home, but no single place that I've felt like settling. It's been a difficult quest.

Today I'm working from "home" on employee reviews. I tried to work in the store yesterday, but in the two hours I set aside I got virtually nothing done due to all the interruptions...the phone calls, the visitors, the questions. I decided I could be much more productive anywhere else and so I've taken advantage of the freedom to work elsewhere. In the same period of time I've managed to accomplish 4 times the amount of work.

I left the house with no clear direction of where I was going to end up, just that I wanted to try something different. There is one neighborhood place I hadn't tried yet, mainly because they close up at 2pm and that's not always the most convenient. I decided to give them a try.

I can't decide if this is home or not. The coffee is Stumptown, one of my absolute favorites, and the food was good, though rather on the pricey side of the spectrum. The table is wobbly, but the staff is pleasant. The ceilings are high and the outlets are plentiful. I don't dislike it, but at the same time, it hasn't been head over heels.

Which makes me think about my husband, the truest of all my homes. I knew my husband for years before I ever dreamed that we would get married. Some loves take longer than others.

Maybe I just need to give it some time.