Hanging Out as a Spiritual Thing

One of my local hangouts in Houston is Onion Creek, located in the Houston Heights on White Oak Blvd. It's patterned after an Austin style cafe/wine/beer bar and sandwich shop with patio dining. This time of year, Houston's weather is excellent for lounging outside on the wooden picnic tables and enjoying the flora and fauna of this small town in the middle of a big city.

As part of my commitment to enjoying life, I walk my morning mile, and end up at Onion Creek for a cup or two (refills free) of organic fair-trade coffee and chat with the local artists who also make it their hangout. The casual atmosphere and friendly ambiance starts my day off just the way I like it. Sometimes I spend a half hour and sometimes I spend several hours, just depending on how I feel on any given day. Since I'm a freelance writer, I can do my work when and where I want, so I choose to get my creative juices flowing in the sunshine with some of the best conversation around.

I really love that John and Alyssia are so into each other that he just has to tell the story of falling in love with her house before he even knew who lived there. Then he actually met her because their art studios backed up to each other. When he went to her house for the first time and found it was the very house he had been so enamoured with, he was just floored. Every morning he declares to her and the world how beautiful she is and how much he loves her, and it's true. I can't think of a better way to start the day than that. I just bask in their happiness and add that to my list of things I want in a mate.

Sometimes my pagan friend stops by and does a little tarot reading for me, or I do a little psychic reading for her, or we both work together to help someone in need. There's also a yoga teacher who loves to talk astrology. And there are children with their parents, enjoying the lack of a generation gap, chatting and playing and being together.

When I sit there in the sunshine and close my eyes, and the breeze is gentle and cool, and the birds are singing, and people are arguing or discussing or sharing their passions, I can feel the heartbeat of the neighborhood. Yes, there is life here, and that's wonderful, and all is well in my world.