If you had your own restaurant, what would it be called?

Hemingway posing for a dust jacket photo by Ll...

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Usually, I don’t follow the WordPress prompts or topics to write about, but this one caught my eye and I decided to write a post about it.  Following the above question, I would name my restaurant “The Writer’s Cave.”  Immediately, that name came to mind and images of what the place would look like started to pour, giving me a sensory overload.  This is what the place looks like to me – The lighting is soft, giving it a cave and cozy feeling.  Since the place is set to cater to writers or wannabe writers, each table has comfy cushioned sitting with a small desk table that you can pull/slide from underneath the main eating table where you can place your laptop or notebook.  The main table has a lamp that you can flip open for reading or writing.  The atmosphere is light, the furniture and walls have an organic rock or paleolithic design.  A few ferns will be scattered around in vases that look like pencils or pens – a larger version of course.  Your napkins, plates and silverware will have engravings or printings of a 1940’s Royal typewriter and the walls will be adorned with the pictures of Hemingway and other famous writers of all times.  The main colors in the decor will be cream, browns, black, coffee and maize tones with silver motifs.  The fabrics will have books or best-sellers printed and the people who work there will have to dress as their favorite author.  Sorry, but if you don’t like writing, writers, books … you better not work there.  In fact, most likely you will not be hired.  Music will be played sporadically but it will be of songs featured in books or related to a story.  The ladies room will have a Red Ridinghood theme and the gentleman’s room theme will be Lord of the Rings (although “The Little Engine that Could” came to mind).   The menu will include foods that have been featured in some classics or best-sellers, or the favorite foods of best-selling authors.  The best part is the pricing, catering to starving artists and writers; although it would be hard to stay in business for long.

So, there you have it, if I had my restaurant that is what it would look and feel like.  However, I am no restaurateur or have dreams of becoming one; I will be happy to sit in it and mingle with other writers.  For any restaurateurs out there, feel free to create this place and don’t forget to send me a coupon for a free meal.

Not all Who Wander are Lost …

The Wandering Jew, a protective figure of the ...

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“Sometimes we may think we are on the right path, but only to find that we have wandered without a purpose.” 

This was my reply to one of my posts that gave birth to this post.  Many of us may be familiar with this quote “Not all who wander are lost” (J.R.R. Tolkien – The Lord of the Rings).  I am a fan of it.  It may seem to contradict my earlier statement, however it does not.  Sometimes, wandering takes a purpose on its own – a purpose of exploring, of wonder, of self-love, self-help, of the lessons that one has to learn to be able to set foot on the right path.  I can surely say that I have wandered for most of my life.  At times I felt lost, sometimes I sworn I was in the right path, on the right direction, and at other times, I realized that the detour was necessary for my personal enrichment and enlightenment.  However, in all my wandering there was always a purpose, it was never aimlessly.  Wether that purpose was right for me at the time or not, is not important, because it made me wander the paths that made me who I am today.

Yes, there are many times that I look back and say, “If I wouldn’t have taken that turn, I will probably would have accomplished this and that, and save some time in the process.  However, I recognize that those lessons were necessary for my spirit and for my mind.  Today, the quote “Not all who wander are lost” resonates with me as true as ever.