day 31: When your day goes “boom”.

Liz McGuire October 18, 2013 Food

everyone’s talking about dynamite coffee roasters. like really. quite of a few people have mentioned it as their favorite place. so, i decided that’s where i needed to go. and i was looking forward to all of the hype. the only problem, to tell you the truth, was that i was feeling excited and blah all at the same time. i think my mood matched the weather…

but, i got on the highway anyway and headed east, back to black mountain, the cozy, nature-loving town about 20 minutes from asheville. (you can read more about my previous black mountain fika here). i talked myself into thinking that once i got to my destination and settled in with a steaming cup o’joe, i’d feel all snuggly and comfy and get rid of this funky, gray attitude.

as you can see, dynamite coffee roasters is a little house just off of the highway, just outside downtown black mountain. i thought that the outdoor seating was pretty cool, a big deck with views of the surrounding mountains. too bad the weather was not ideal for sitting outside. still, i was looking forward to being cozy. on the other side of the house is a “front” porch, complete with tables and chairs. nice touch.

and how cute and fun is this sign out front?

i walked through the open door and up to the counter, just inside the entrance. the whole cafe was one room, with seating along the back and to the right. the counter/coffee bar area was to the left. i said hello to the barista, and ordered a regular coffee. then, i looked around the room, trying to decide where to go.

there was a lady sitting, writing at one of the two-three tables available. there were two men and a little girl sitting in the sofa/comfy area, and two women sitting at the bar by the window. i decided to have a seat at one of the free tables, thinking i would pull out my computer and write. but, then i opted for my journal. but, all i did was place it on the table. i did some people watching, some thinking about writing, and some staring into space. i felt really tired. it just came over me when i sat down. and i also felt really alone. i have no idea why, just one of those days, i suppose.

well, for whatever reason, my coffee was not healing my blues. so, after the world’s shortest fika, which consisted of going back and forth between staring out the window and staring into space, i decided to pack it up and head home. i was certain that it was not the coffeehouse that caused this reaction, because it was cute and filled with all good things coffee-inspired. and it is clearly a very popular place, but my mood did not allow me to enjoy my moments, though i tried. i really tried.

oh, i gotta go back. perhaps it’d be even better if i took someone with me. i mean, the coffee was yummy and fresh. and the whole place smelled amazing. i think today, that i just needed a companion.

but, you know, my fika friends, that’s how it goes. and i’m not someone who is going to pretend that everything is beautiful and lovely every second of every day. we all have those blah days. and it is precisely those blahs, sufferings, difficult times and moments that give us the perspective of beauty and hope. it’s true what they say: we appreciate the light all the more because of the darkness. there are days when we are just not feeling it – at all. i just happened to have my blah, dark day today today. ironically, in a coffeehouse that was called “dynamite”, i was feeling anything but dynamite.