— Baby Katie, circa 2008
In my 20s, I managed a Starbucks — a brand new location built from the ground up. Nothing I have done since has come close to this experience.
When I left after five years to get my master’s degree, I remember running my hand along the handoff plane. It felt like part of me was in that wood. I can’t explain it really, but it’s like when I take my dog’s collar off and he looks at it in horror like I am holding a piece of his body (he is prone to dramatics).
In an On Being interview about magic, everyday mystery, and getting creative, Rick Rubin said that everything we create has a piece of us in it.
We’re inhabiting the things that we’re making. The good ones have our soul. They have a piece of us in them.
I feel this with the stories I write or the photos I take, but there is something different about creating a physical space. It’s a different kind of creating, and I miss it so deeply.
Starbucks used to say that they were creating the “third place,” a place that is not home and it’s not work. And I can’t stress enough how much I took this concept to heart. I meant for my store on the corner of Route 59 and 75th Street to be a sanctuary — for customers and partners (employees). And, I think, sometimes it was.
— Jan Richardson, Circle of Grace
I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately and asking myself how I can embody this now, now that I don’t have a physical space to create and nurture. How can I be a sanctuary?
These synonyms! This is unintentionally the perfect follow for the last post about harbor and connection. Anyway, I don’t have the answer, but I did pull a Dirt Gems card for this question. It did not disappoint.
Rosemary: holder of belonging.
Do you know the song "Sanctuary" by Carrie Newcomer? If not, I highly recommend it. All of the words in this post reminded me of it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HjOioWTVAl4
And I feel like there is so more truth in this idea of physical space / the specialness of it / the home not home you can create for yourself and others there. I feel that a lot around a couple of the restaurants I used to work in...and I agree with you...I really miss it. (Though I do feel some of that with Ethereal and the space / people there)