I’m in Shreveport, LA. If you’ve been a friend of the blog for long…you know that before PraCan was home, this was where I parked my car and rested my head. One of my best and dearest friends still lives here. So when Derek found out he needed to come down for a week of training, I was totally on board for tagging along. Seeing a bestie + escaping the Polar Vortex=a major win-win.
Today the bestie is at nursing classes. So I was on my own. I started my day off by doing a little video work for another friend who works for a lovely non-profit in the area. More on that later. After I finished up there it was 10am and I had yet to have a cup of coffee. In dire need I headed to Strawn’s Eat Shop. Here’s the thing about Louisiana. I don’t miss the heat. I don’t miss the bugs. But what I really do miss is the vibe here. The accents, the sassy locals, and the abundance of southern comfort food.
Stawn’s is iconic. They’ve been featured in magazines and on TV. Their joint is quaint. Their food is amazing.
I settled in this morning, ready to take my time…maybe knock a few more pages off of an amazing book I received for Christmas. During the course of the hour I spent there sipping coffee and slowly working on my food I watched the action unfold inside one of Shreveport’s oldest and most loved eateries.
It’s the kind of place where the waitresses know the customers. More than once was a patron greeted with a “Hey, how you doin’?” and a hug to match. My coffee cup never fully drained. The waitress never pressured me to hurry up and move on. She just let me nibble and read. By 11:15 the door was constantly swinging open as more and more hungry locals poured in for burgers and pie.
{yes, that is a giant slab of butter on the counter. I love the south.}
When you spend time in a place like Strawn’s you see the best in the community. People excelling at their work. People carrying on a tradition worth carrying on. Lately, I’ve been overwhelmed and heavy-hearted over the state of our world. The truth is, it is easy to look around and feel like everything and everyone is awful and growing worse. But all it takes is a slow breakfast in a hole-in-the-wall to remember that there are still lots of good people, and plenty of good left to be done. Maybe things aren’t really as changed and far gone as they sometimes feel. That’s a happy thought to hang on to.
xo Amy
