Wednesday, September 20, 2006
YOUR INSPIRATION PLACE
Hello! Welcome to One Love Cafe and Inspiriation Place - on line. Today is the fourth anniversary of the opening of the original, wordly, One Love Cafe, so I had this idea..... I get so many wise and wacky people coming through the doors and have so many amazing conversations..... why not share some of them..... in a blog.......with the planet( entirely anonymously, of course) ???? This idea lead to more ideas... hey, I could give back to the world and inspire others around the globe by sharing some of the books, people, quotes, thoughts and experiences that have inspired me on my own journey.
So, here goes. First, wish me a Happy Anniversary. It has been an interesting four years thus far. These days we are busy and have aquired a crowd of faithful regulars, in addition to the steady stream of beautiful souls who stumble through our doors 'by accident.'
I will not be sharing any photos of One Love, as the staff (all eleven of us) are a bit touchy about being shown online. Instead I will attempt to describe it for you, and help you paint a picture in your mind. Oh, speaking of pictures, I have posted one of Alex Gray's pieces entitled "Wounded Healer." I love this image and actually have a print of it up in the cafe. I am including a link to Alex's website for those who are not familiar with his work:
Okay, so about five years ago I found this funky old character house for rent in a rather trendy part of town, and I knew immediately that this was the beginning of my dream. I paid three months rent on the spot and moved in to the upstairs exactly one month later. And then the fun of renovations began..... shit, I'm supposed to be describing the place... I do tend to digress....
So, yes, a funky character house. I painted it a dark green with terra cotta -coloured trim. The front steps are stylishly crooked and the massive front door is so heavy that I often leave it open so as not to deter customers. I could never have replaced something so beautiful; a hand carved work of art, proudly depicting a lifesize sitting Buddha. In truth, this was what sold me on the place.
The cafe has evolved over the past four years, and what started as a tiny sitting area with a couple chairs and a few bookshelves has been transformed into a lively yet cozy hang out. The fireplace is the centrepiece of the main room, and I always keep it burning through the winter and on chilly spring and autumn evenings. I did not want to hide the natural hardwood floors, so I added a couple large kilim rugs, ordered through a friend who visited Turkey.
The Universe has truly been supporting me throughout this entire operation; from day one the perfect things have come to me with ease and little effort. I acquired chunky wooden tables and chairs from a carpenter friend, and bought piles of over-size cushions for floor sitting. At one end is the coffee making area, where we serve anything and everything coffee; warm, cold and in between. Tea too. And the treats are to die for, made with love by a dear friend who runs his own catering business. The treats alone bring people back! I was adament about selling irresistable, wholesome goodies, as one of my pet peeves is going into a groovy looking caff, with a luscious ambience and energy, only to find a couple plates of dried out cookies and two day old butter tarts sitting limply in the near empty display case. ???? Nothing less than delicious with your coffee here. Am I selling the place so far?
Can't forget the books. The walls are made of them; spiritual, inspirational, devotional, metaphysical, all second- hand, discovered in the most auspicious of places.... this is how I spend my spare time. If I'm not reading or writing, I'm book hunting. I do trades aswell, and we certainly do aquire our share of unique stuff from unique folks. This is a place where I want people to feel at home , and I am all about welcoming customers to relax and read over a coffee. If you spill your drink or get your sticky fingerprints all over the pages, oh well. No one ever does.
I'm really digressing now. How can you tell I love to write? Oh, can't forget the artwork on display. One of my ideas when I first opened was to create a space where up and coming (and sometimes struggling) artists could show their work without having to pay ridiculous commissions. I know many talented people whom I love to support, and more and more keep showing up. Each month we showcase different artist's work and the response has been fantastic.
In addition to the cafe and bookstore, there are several rooms in the back part of the house which I reserve and rent out to various groups, workshops and healing practitioners. We hold everything from ecstatic dance to sound healing, with more happening all the time. On the weekends we also host poetry readings and some musical evenings with open mic or local acts. The One Love keeps growing and I am truly honoured and blessed to share this space with so many talented, giving and inspiring souls.
In truth, the part of the business I enjoy most is the communicating. As I mentioned way back at the beginning of this "little" tour, I am privileged and blessed to meet such interesting people with a wealth of profound ideas and thoughts to share.
Okay, that's my attempt at a description. If you want to know more, just ask.
This is how it's going to work. As you may have noticed, I am no web designer, so please do not judge me based on how my blog looks; instead, I invite you to enjoy the heart and soul of One Love Cafe. It's what's on the inside that counts, right? My hope is to share some of the many gifts I receive with all of you out there. I will be posting a quote each day and a recommended book each week. The rest will be a surprise to us both. I am confident that the format will evolve as I learn more about the land of blog. I would like to update the blog as often as possible and I welcome any questions, thoughts, inspirational quotes/stories/ideas. Please share! Sharing is what One Love is about! In truth we are not separate at all, my friends............... One Love, One Heart.....
Bye for now...
So, here goes. First, wish me a Happy Anniversary. It has been an interesting four years thus far. These days we are busy and have aquired a crowd of faithful regulars, in addition to the steady stream of beautiful souls who stumble through our doors 'by accident.'
I will not be sharing any photos of One Love, as the staff (all eleven of us) are a bit touchy about being shown online. Instead I will attempt to describe it for you, and help you paint a picture in your mind. Oh, speaking of pictures, I have posted one of Alex Gray's pieces entitled "Wounded Healer." I love this image and actually have a print of it up in the cafe. I am including a link to Alex's website for those who are not familiar with his work:
Check Out Alex Grey
Okay, so about five years ago I found this funky old character house for rent in a rather trendy part of town, and I knew immediately that this was the beginning of my dream. I paid three months rent on the spot and moved in to the upstairs exactly one month later. And then the fun of renovations began..... shit, I'm supposed to be describing the place... I do tend to digress....
So, yes, a funky character house. I painted it a dark green with terra cotta -coloured trim. The front steps are stylishly crooked and the massive front door is so heavy that I often leave it open so as not to deter customers. I could never have replaced something so beautiful; a hand carved work of art, proudly depicting a lifesize sitting Buddha. In truth, this was what sold me on the place.
The cafe has evolved over the past four years, and what started as a tiny sitting area with a couple chairs and a few bookshelves has been transformed into a lively yet cozy hang out. The fireplace is the centrepiece of the main room, and I always keep it burning through the winter and on chilly spring and autumn evenings. I did not want to hide the natural hardwood floors, so I added a couple large kilim rugs, ordered through a friend who visited Turkey.
The Universe has truly been supporting me throughout this entire operation; from day one the perfect things have come to me with ease and little effort. I acquired chunky wooden tables and chairs from a carpenter friend, and bought piles of over-size cushions for floor sitting. At one end is the coffee making area, where we serve anything and everything coffee; warm, cold and in between. Tea too. And the treats are to die for, made with love by a dear friend who runs his own catering business. The treats alone bring people back! I was adament about selling irresistable, wholesome goodies, as one of my pet peeves is going into a groovy looking caff, with a luscious ambience and energy, only to find a couple plates of dried out cookies and two day old butter tarts sitting limply in the near empty display case. ???? Nothing less than delicious with your coffee here. Am I selling the place so far?
Can't forget the books. The walls are made of them; spiritual, inspirational, devotional, metaphysical, all second- hand, discovered in the most auspicious of places.... this is how I spend my spare time. If I'm not reading or writing, I'm book hunting. I do trades aswell, and we certainly do aquire our share of unique stuff from unique folks. This is a place where I want people to feel at home , and I am all about welcoming customers to relax and read over a coffee. If you spill your drink or get your sticky fingerprints all over the pages, oh well. No one ever does.
I'm really digressing now. How can you tell I love to write? Oh, can't forget the artwork on display. One of my ideas when I first opened was to create a space where up and coming (and sometimes struggling) artists could show their work without having to pay ridiculous commissions. I know many talented people whom I love to support, and more and more keep showing up. Each month we showcase different artist's work and the response has been fantastic.
In addition to the cafe and bookstore, there are several rooms in the back part of the house which I reserve and rent out to various groups, workshops and healing practitioners. We hold everything from ecstatic dance to sound healing, with more happening all the time. On the weekends we also host poetry readings and some musical evenings with open mic or local acts. The One Love keeps growing and I am truly honoured and blessed to share this space with so many talented, giving and inspiring souls.
In truth, the part of the business I enjoy most is the communicating. As I mentioned way back at the beginning of this "little" tour, I am privileged and blessed to meet such interesting people with a wealth of profound ideas and thoughts to share.
Okay, that's my attempt at a description. If you want to know more, just ask.
This is how it's going to work. As you may have noticed, I am no web designer, so please do not judge me based on how my blog looks; instead, I invite you to enjoy the heart and soul of One Love Cafe. It's what's on the inside that counts, right? My hope is to share some of the many gifts I receive with all of you out there. I will be posting a quote each day and a recommended book each week. The rest will be a surprise to us both. I am confident that the format will evolve as I learn more about the land of blog. I would like to update the blog as often as possible and I welcome any questions, thoughts, inspirational quotes/stories/ideas. Please share! Sharing is what One Love is about! In truth we are not separate at all, my friends............... One Love, One Heart.....
Bye for now...
