There are a few other times during the year that cause my heart and spirit swell with such joy and anticipation and hope. If I don't want to be like forgotten, frostbitten and unrecognizable foil-wrapped leftovers in the back of the fridge, then these renewals are essential for my heart!
What is the first question we usually ask when we ask someone out on a date but we're not really saying "date" but we also want to let them know that we want to get to know them?
Most often the way we say "hey, I like you and I wanna get to know you a little better but I don't want to say 'date' because that's a little intense right now and I don't know if you are terrified of intimacy but I sure as hell am" is
"Hey...do you wanna get coffee?"
My dad had a habit of leaving the house at night and announcing to everyone in it that he was "going out drinking".
My dad did not drink. He hated the taste of alcohol so he thought it was funny to tell a house that knew full well he was not about to go anywhere near a bar that he was going to go out and have a wild night (and by "wild night" he meant mixing the regular with decaf and nerding out with a friend).
How often, when we start to figure out that we get along pretty well with someone at work or martial arts class or Magic: The Gathering tournaments, or whatever, that when we want to take it to the next level, whether that's romantic or just friends, the code is so often, "let's get coffee".
Maybe it's human nature to avoid acknowledgement that we actually like or care for someone but for some reason it's easier to say "do you like coffee? lets have coffee" rather than "do you like me?".
On second thought, it would be weird if somebody said that.
For now, if you see me and I say "let's get coffee", feel free to interpret that as "let's be friends now".
Drink Valiantly folks.
"We only go as fast as the slowest member." I was given that caution on my very first snowshoe trip nearly 15 years ago. My seasoned guide had put my youthful legs to work breaking trail for the rest of the group. It was fun, hard work and surprisingly I wasn't the slowest that day!
The idea (of trail courtesy) has come to mind at different points over the years and some of you might hear it and roll your eyes, thinking, "get rid of the dead weight already and plough ahead!"
That can be a justifiable approach and has even run through my own head at times but I will share that I've found, the hard way, that's not [always] the best approach. Pushing and thereby exhausting the slowest member is well, #1 it's foolish #2 you're not guaranteed a second chance and #3 can result in heat stroke, exhaustion, etc.
And I've found (the hard way) that if you hesitate or drag your feet in a moment that requires action...see points #1 and #2 above.
Leaders are the ones aware of the pace. Leaders are by default responsible for the outcome and the wellbeing of those falling in behind. Leadership requires sacrifice. Leadership requires wisdom. Good leadership requires you to assess the ability of your troops so that you know when to push them and when to let them rest.
A storm rolled in that day and if we had pushed too hard we could have found ourselves in a precarious situation...too far out without the reserve of energy necessary to hustle back to safety. Instead I have a memorable account of my first snowshoe trip and it provided me the skills and confidence to eventually lead trips of my own.
The rules of trail leadership are very obviously not only reserved for experiences in the great outdoors. If you're a man, a woman, a spouse, a parent, a friend, a professional, an entrepreneur, a guide, a brother, a sister, an expert; you are not exempt from the burden of leadership. We encourage you to embrace the honor and lead well; we implore you to do it valiantly.
Starting from scratch is never an easy task. That is what we have been trying to do, and really, what we've been doing for the last year.
Literally from the ground up. We are learning how to run a business. How to manage a shop, how to manage finances, how to meet city codes and requirements, all the while trying to stay true to the thing we started as, a small hand crafted coffee producing outfit.
We want to grow organically, but even organic matter requires certain fertilizers to grow. The same is true for a small business. You need working capital (cash), you need industry knowledge and know how, you need a location, you need customers, you need an excellent product, you need a website, you need friends to come alongside you when you feel like you're going crazy! And the list goes on and on. Running a small business is not the same as owning a small business. Apparently... that's what someone told us. Sounds like owner's typically don't do so much leg work. Yes we own this business, but right now it feels like it's owning us!
We are taking big risks with slim guarantee of reward, but we believe in what we are doing, because we believe in the one who opened the door for us to start this thing in the first place!
We believe in being Valiant.
Valiant - possessing or showing courage or determination.
We are excited to do life with you! We are excited to meet you! We are excited to serve you! Many blessings, and hope to hear from you soon. In the mean time, buy a bag of beans, or join us over a hot cup-a-joe as we strive to live this thing out for real.
