Stretching, Creating and Feeling Fully Alive

While comfort zones have their place, we don’t want to get stuck there. Stretching allows us to nurture our creativity and ignite movement in our lives

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Stretching, reaching, I feel tight, it hurts. I’m not sure I can do this…

Sounds like I am exercising, right?

In a way I am. But not in the way that you may be thinking. I’m actually leaping further into faith, drinking creative juices, reaching for the stars, expanding and opening my heart up to trust. What an interesting comparison…my winter body, exercise — and my creativity. I know it’s good for me, but it’s also often uncomfortable.

Sometimes I want to hibernate between the covers in my bed and other times I want to push myself to new lengths in my Pilates class. Working out isn’t exactly in my comfort zone, and come to find out, creative projects aren’t either. However, this feisty spirit of mine sways amidst the push pull of it all, hungry for new experience…trusting (or trying to).

We whine, resist, try to hide and yet, we crave motion in our bodies, our minds and the bigger dreams of our lives. Movement is taking a step, planting a seed, witnessing it bloom.

We don’t need a roadmap. We don’t have to have it all figured out. We don’t even have to know where it is going next or what is possible. I’ve actually found, that’s best.

This café was a seedling that got nurtured…and in turn nurtured. I couldn’t have possibly known where it was leading me, who it was connecting and the beautiful magic unfolding. At the end of the day it is so much bigger than we are. How a place makes us feel is everything. And what we do with that feeling matters most.

Do we share it? Do we run away from it, deny it, push it aside? Or do we embrace it…even when it scares us?

I want you to know that as with bricks in a foundation, you are a part of this incredible journey — in some way a beam, a support, a beacon of light in the structure that holds it all together. Which is exactly why I am sharing this here first. It is because of you that we are spreading our creative wings a bit more. Your encouragement, your expressions of gratitude, your connection to the café and our newsletter has fueled us to take it further — to believe that we could.

You asked, so we answered.

It’s official. We are dipping our toes into producing a quarterly mini-book — an expansion upon our monthly newsletter; a curated beauty full of seasonal recipes, tips, musings, art, music and inspirations. And we are heading in the direction of our cookbook!

We’ve been working away behind the scenes bringing this vision to fruition. And we did it. WINTER Vol. 1 in all of its love and glory…will be available for sale 2/12. WOOT!

CLICK HERE to order your copy of WINTER / Vol. 1

And I want you to know that you have been with me along the path of assembling this first edition. As we came to the table with a flurry of ideas, energy and imagery — I realized that the thread weaving throughout this project, was the same as the mission of the restaurant. It’s about how something makes you feel, how you experience it — be it a place, a meal, an interaction or life. It’s about lifestyle.

Like any journey, it was not without its own bumps in the road. My insecurities had a field day and started to whisper untruths into my ears. Who will care? When we step forward and answer the call within to stretch further…it may feel uncomfortable at first, it may require moving a new muscle, it may feel vulnerable and open a Pandora’s Box of emotions. That’s OK. It means you are alive and most likely, onto something.

But remember, we can also talk back.

This café dream came true because of YOU. We’ve continued to grow and expand and imagine what is possible together. And you know what? There wouldn’t be a café if you didn’t care and I didn’t care and we didn’t care enough to show up and navigate it all together. To care is to feel alive.

This is dedicated to what has grown from the seeds of our caring. Thank you for holding us while we expanded our wings. And may you heed the calls of your creative whispers and know that we care — because the world is a much sweeter place when we stretch a little further and let our creativity soar. What’s calling you?

~ Lea Haas, Owner, The Garden Cafe Woodstock