Recently I have been asked by several people why I chose to stay in Houston after Mission Year ended...
I used to think that the answer to that question was simple...It's not
I think...the answer to that question is in three parts.
1. I fell in love with the city of Houston while I was in Mission Year. (something I am convinced is part of the effect Mission Year has on someone.)
2. I learned of something new and exciting that I could be a part of.
3. I established some amazing friendships, and also became established as an Artist. (the latter of which was something I had been striving to do for quite some time.)
When you hear me say that I fell in Love with Houston, you might think that it means I learned about a lot of cool places in town, I met some cool people, and I realized how beautiful of a place it is. These things are true, but more than anything when I say I fell in Love with Houston I really mean that I learned more about the suffering, pain, loss, and general decay of this city than any other place in my life. I learned these things from stories, books, and from living side by side with some of the most impoverished people here. In the process of learning the statistics, and figures about poverty, homelessness, broken homes, alcoholism, drug abuse, and the many other evils that plague this city day in and day out, I made a major mistake (which might also be the best thing I have ever done in my life). I put faces on every single one of those things...
I tell people that it became hard for me to sleep when I heard that the average age of a homeless person in America is 9 years old (due to domestic abuse forcing mothers and their children out of the home), I told people it became hard to sleep when I heard they can now track prison populations back to the 3rd grade( meaning that they can look at a class of 3rd graders and statistically determine which ones will end up in prison).I tell people it became hard to sleep when I found out that Houston is the #1 city in the nation for Human Trafficking. I can tell you now that all of these things became impossible to swallow when I met children who live on the street, when I taught third graders who went home to crack addicted parents, when I met men & women who sell themselves night after night, when I heard stories of girls getting kidnapped for the sex slave industry, when I drove past known brothels...I fell in Love last year but not with pretty buildings, cool coffee shops, or art museums, but with prostitutes, homeless men & women, and children who have every statistic in the book fighting against them...
And I couldn't leave them behind...
Toward the end of my year with Mission Year I was introduced to Josh & Aimee Wood who are part of the pastoral team for a church called Harbor Church. Josh & Aimee, when I met them, were starting a community in the Montrose neighborhood of Houston. The Woods' have lived in Montrose for a while, and in the past have used their house and garage apartments to serve as a half-way house for recovering addicts. "Love Works" is what they are calling their new adventure which is an experiment in living in community, serving children at risk in our neighborhood schools, and seeking after a lifestyle of love and service together as a community. When I met them I knew immediately that I wanted to be somehow involved with them, and their program. I moved in the day after Mission Year ended and have been living there since. I love living with Josh, Aimee, their three children, and Juli. Living in the house has been an adventure in and of itself, everyday is different and exciting. I have begun to Mentor two young boys at Gregory Lincoln Elementary School, and spend a good amount of my time (both while at work and other times) hanging out with the people who occupy the streets of Montrose at night. Being part of Love Works was not an easy decision but I feel that it was one of the best things I could do post-Mission Year here in Houston. I moved in with Love Works because I realized that if I went back to my old life I would quickly forget the things I learned in Mission Year, and I didn't want that. I wanted to move past my old life and strive to find my new path.
Part of that new path is my passion for the arts. For many years I have been painting and drawing as both a hobby and a passion...only recently have I become an acknowledged, and successful artist. I have sold a lot of my paintings, and a few of my drawings, also I have become plugged into several communities of artists here in Houston. On top of my success as an artist I have established several very good friendships a few of them being my former Mission Year teammates, and others that I got to know while working here in Houston last year. I look forward to seeing what lies ahead both in my friendships here in Houston, and my career as an artist.
All in all I stayed in Houston because I wanted to love what I do...and I do
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Friday, November 5, 2010
Rudeness...and everthing that follows...
Coffee shops are interesting places...working at one is even more interesting.
When all is said and done, with the pompousness of boutique coffee out of the way, being a Barista is a two sided job. 1. bar-tending, & 2. People watching. (most likely this is why I love this job)
Fair-warning to all my friends in Houston, if you come into Taft Street Coffee you will most likely end up on this blog in some form....
I get a lot of odd people in the coffee shop in the mornings. As I stated in my previous blog there are a lot of different lifestyles, and economic classes that intermingle here. There is something to be said about a heart surgeon hanging out with a painter, a homeless man, and a transvestite...it's a beautiful thing and a common occurrence here at Taft.
One thing that is not common here at Taft street is rudeness...there have been very few times that I have had a "rude" customer, but it does happen and unfortunately the rude ones are often more memorable then the nice ones...
I love people, I find it harder to love people who are rude in general, I find it exponentially harder to love people who are rude to me.
Usually my days here consist of serving a lot of drip coffee, and the occasional latte. However today was a different story...I have had more "complicated" orders then any other day working here...I don't mind this, in fact I welcome it, because it makes me feel like a real barista. I get to make drinks people will enjoy and I get to show off my Latte art abilities...which are improving. Although I enjoy making Mocha's, Latte's, Americanos, and the many variations on all of the drinks here at our coffee shop, I am weary to do so, for fear that I will mess up.
Today while fixing a White chocolate non-fat mocha for a customer, she informed me that I had failed to use non-fat milk and had instead used whole milk (not true). I assured her that I had used non-fat milk and offered to make her another drink if she was not satisfied. She was not. I began to make the second drink, making sure she could see that I used non-fat milk, and she stood waiting with her arms crossed and a lot (like ridiculous amounts) of huffing and puffing. I completed her drink and set it down on the counter, she took a sip, and then spit it out...right on to the counter...she set the drink down, informed me again that I had not used non-fat milk, I assured her that I had, and she gave me one of those "you're a f@cking idiot and you don't know what your talking about" looks, and stomped out the door with all the gusto of a six year old throwing a tantrum. ( I have seen a few of these at the house and I feel it was comparable.)
I disposed of her drink and cleaned up my station, wondering the whole time if I had done a good job of not being rude to her in return for her rudeness. ( as far as I can recall I kept a smile on my face the whole time.Though the second time around I am sure I had a "b*tch please tell me this is wrong again" smile) This thought process began me thinking about other people that I have had poor experiences with both here at Taft and at other coffee shops I have worked in, and I have had many.
Working at Coffee shops has enlightened me in many parts of my life but it has confused me in one...I don't understand how people can be so rude and upset over a beverage...it just doesn't make any sense...I make a living off making these drinks and they aren't even that important to me...
If the women who I served happens upon this blog...Have a nice day!
Peace, Love, Happiness
Isaac
When all is said and done, with the pompousness of boutique coffee out of the way, being a Barista is a two sided job. 1. bar-tending, & 2. People watching. (most likely this is why I love this job)
Fair-warning to all my friends in Houston, if you come into Taft Street Coffee you will most likely end up on this blog in some form....
I get a lot of odd people in the coffee shop in the mornings. As I stated in my previous blog there are a lot of different lifestyles, and economic classes that intermingle here. There is something to be said about a heart surgeon hanging out with a painter, a homeless man, and a transvestite...it's a beautiful thing and a common occurrence here at Taft.
One thing that is not common here at Taft street is rudeness...there have been very few times that I have had a "rude" customer, but it does happen and unfortunately the rude ones are often more memorable then the nice ones...
I love people, I find it harder to love people who are rude in general, I find it exponentially harder to love people who are rude to me.
Usually my days here consist of serving a lot of drip coffee, and the occasional latte. However today was a different story...I have had more "complicated" orders then any other day working here...I don't mind this, in fact I welcome it, because it makes me feel like a real barista. I get to make drinks people will enjoy and I get to show off my Latte art abilities...which are improving. Although I enjoy making Mocha's, Latte's, Americanos, and the many variations on all of the drinks here at our coffee shop, I am weary to do so, for fear that I will mess up.
Today while fixing a White chocolate non-fat mocha for a customer, she informed me that I had failed to use non-fat milk and had instead used whole milk (not true). I assured her that I had used non-fat milk and offered to make her another drink if she was not satisfied. She was not. I began to make the second drink, making sure she could see that I used non-fat milk, and she stood waiting with her arms crossed and a lot (like ridiculous amounts) of huffing and puffing. I completed her drink and set it down on the counter, she took a sip, and then spit it out...right on to the counter...she set the drink down, informed me again that I had not used non-fat milk, I assured her that I had, and she gave me one of those "you're a f@cking idiot and you don't know what your talking about" looks, and stomped out the door with all the gusto of a six year old throwing a tantrum. ( I have seen a few of these at the house and I feel it was comparable.)
I disposed of her drink and cleaned up my station, wondering the whole time if I had done a good job of not being rude to her in return for her rudeness. ( as far as I can recall I kept a smile on my face the whole time.Though the second time around I am sure I had a "b*tch please tell me this is wrong again" smile) This thought process began me thinking about other people that I have had poor experiences with both here at Taft and at other coffee shops I have worked in, and I have had many.
Working at Coffee shops has enlightened me in many parts of my life but it has confused me in one...I don't understand how people can be so rude and upset over a beverage...it just doesn't make any sense...I make a living off making these drinks and they aren't even that important to me...
If the women who I served happens upon this blog...Have a nice day!
Peace, Love, Happiness
Isaac
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
"The Experiment"...
Okay....it has been a while since I have blogged...I am very inconsistent in this but I believe I have found a way to stick with it...and that is to read my friend Cass Trumbo's blog. Cass is currently in Turkey teaching English, and apparently having adventure after adventure. I read his blog regularly and can't stop laughing for hours after. I often feel as if I am having these adventures with him. Therefore it encourages me to write more. So Cass if you are reading this thanks.
I have entered into a new era of my life that we will call "The Experiment"
As Mission Year ended I had decided to stay in Houston to try and figure out what living a life of service and simplicity looked like outside of the constructs of Mission Year.
I moved into a house to join a program that is starting up called "Love Works".
Love Works is a look at how living in community and working with At-risk children can affect the city. I live with six other people. Josh and Aimee Wood and their three children Shaun(6) Rebbecca(3) and Danny(1). My other housemates name is Juli Allen. Juli, Josh, Aimee, and the kids live in the house while I live in the garage apartment(just like the "Fonz", for all those reading who don't get that reference...you are a baby...and your childhood was void of all that is good) We live in community, which doesn't just mean that we live near each other, but rather that we share things, we eat meals together, we do chores, we celebrate life together, we laugh, we cry, we live as a family. We are dysfunctional at best but in the greatest ways. Together we are figuring out what it looks like to be a house that celebrates together, opening our home to our friends, neighbors, family, and strangers. We are working to better the lives of children-at-risk in our neighborhood by mentoring at a local school, and trying to find ways where our passions can be used to brighten others lives.
On top of living with my new family (as they will shall be called) I am working at Taft Street Coffee. Taft Street Coffee is a coffee shop that a Church (Ecclesia Houston) runs in our neighborhood. I am glad to be back in the coffee industry, as I enjoy the work very much...If it would pay the bills I think I would be a Barista for a long time (and I hope to be). I would like to eventually open my own shop that roasts their own coffee, but that dream is a long way off. Working at the Coffee shop brings some very interesting characters into my life. Because of staying in Houston and doing the work that I am doing some of the people that I see on a daily basis are homeless, transvestites, prostitutes, socially down-cast, vagrants. This mixture of people along with our more "normal" customers at Taft Street makes for some very interesting stories and adventures. I am enjoying my life here in Houston very much, but like any life there are bumps along the road. I hope that through this blog I can convey the stories that are molding me and also let you glimpse into the story that I am living day-to-day. I don't promise that my stories will be wholesome, enlightening, or even entertaining but I hope you will join me on this journey as I try to figure out what living in Love and Service looks like, and as I try to answer the age old question...Why am I here?...What is my purpose?...
This blog will "hopefully" be updated often with stories and adventures in our home, stories from the coffee shop, and my observations on events in my life. (it's OK it even sounds boring to me)
Thomas Merton once said that "Art enables us to find ourselves, and lose ourselves at the same time." Going along with this Idea I have a running slide show of my different paintings on top of this blog but I will also post paintings and sketches as they are produced.
Sometimes I ramble when speaking to people...I think this is just the electronic version of it. Luckily for you it's impossible for me to accidentally mumble on the internet...
You'll find my Blog easier to read if you imagine Morgan Freeman reading it to you...in fact while writing this I did an impression of Mr. Freeman reading it and I was rather impressed.
If you are still reading this, God Bless you...
Peace, Love, Happiness
Isaac
I have entered into a new era of my life that we will call "The Experiment"
As Mission Year ended I had decided to stay in Houston to try and figure out what living a life of service and simplicity looked like outside of the constructs of Mission Year.
I moved into a house to join a program that is starting up called "Love Works".
Love Works is a look at how living in community and working with At-risk children can affect the city. I live with six other people. Josh and Aimee Wood and their three children Shaun(6) Rebbecca(3) and Danny(1). My other housemates name is Juli Allen. Juli, Josh, Aimee, and the kids live in the house while I live in the garage apartment(just like the "Fonz", for all those reading who don't get that reference...you are a baby...and your childhood was void of all that is good) We live in community, which doesn't just mean that we live near each other, but rather that we share things, we eat meals together, we do chores, we celebrate life together, we laugh, we cry, we live as a family. We are dysfunctional at best but in the greatest ways. Together we are figuring out what it looks like to be a house that celebrates together, opening our home to our friends, neighbors, family, and strangers. We are working to better the lives of children-at-risk in our neighborhood by mentoring at a local school, and trying to find ways where our passions can be used to brighten others lives.
On top of living with my new family (as they will shall be called) I am working at Taft Street Coffee. Taft Street Coffee is a coffee shop that a Church (Ecclesia Houston) runs in our neighborhood. I am glad to be back in the coffee industry, as I enjoy the work very much...If it would pay the bills I think I would be a Barista for a long time (and I hope to be). I would like to eventually open my own shop that roasts their own coffee, but that dream is a long way off. Working at the Coffee shop brings some very interesting characters into my life. Because of staying in Houston and doing the work that I am doing some of the people that I see on a daily basis are homeless, transvestites, prostitutes, socially down-cast, vagrants. This mixture of people along with our more "normal" customers at Taft Street makes for some very interesting stories and adventures. I am enjoying my life here in Houston very much, but like any life there are bumps along the road. I hope that through this blog I can convey the stories that are molding me and also let you glimpse into the story that I am living day-to-day. I don't promise that my stories will be wholesome, enlightening, or even entertaining but I hope you will join me on this journey as I try to figure out what living in Love and Service looks like, and as I try to answer the age old question...Why am I here?...What is my purpose?...
This blog will "hopefully" be updated often with stories and adventures in our home, stories from the coffee shop, and my observations on events in my life. (it's OK it even sounds boring to me)
Thomas Merton once said that "Art enables us to find ourselves, and lose ourselves at the same time." Going along with this Idea I have a running slide show of my different paintings on top of this blog but I will also post paintings and sketches as they are produced.
Sometimes I ramble when speaking to people...I think this is just the electronic version of it. Luckily for you it's impossible for me to accidentally mumble on the internet...
You'll find my Blog easier to read if you imagine Morgan Freeman reading it to you...in fact while writing this I did an impression of Mr. Freeman reading it and I was rather impressed.
If you are still reading this, God Bless you...
Peace, Love, Happiness
Isaac
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