Coffee As A Soothing Balm For Fire-Ravaged Altadena, California
When disaster strikes and lives are turned upside down, it is often the familiar–like a good cup of coffee–that helps to begin the process of healing.
The Eaton fire in Altadena, California has really hit close to home, not just because I have several friends who lost homes or because the fire was 10 minutes from my house, but because I worked so closely with that community in my first “real” job with the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors. I consider the community home and my heart breaks for all who lost their houses and all earthly possessions. When I close my eyes, I can picture what each street looked like before the fire.
One thing that has troubled me is that the fire has prompted business closures stretching far beyond the danger zone. These closures cannot be reduced to poor air quality or a desire to protect employees.
Take the YMCA of the Foothills, a gym network my family belongs to. I knew the La Cañada Flintridge branch would be closed because parts of the city were under evacuation orders, but the two other branches were also closed all week…both outside the danger zone. The Glendale YMCA closed too.
I am certain I am not alone in scratching my head over this…
So many restaurants, retailers, and other businesses have stepped up to offer free food and clothing to those who have been displaced and simultaneously remained open…that is what the community needed and these places have answered the call.
Meanwhile, the Y collected canned goods and blankets and offered telephone counseling, which was perfectly fine, but that’s not what people need from the Y…they need to exercise. Distraction too. What’s a better way to relieve stress than to workout, sit in the sauna, and shower? There is no better way. For those suddenly displaced from their homes, they needed their Y open…not thoughts and prayers alone. We all did.
My daughter takes swimming lessons and my son plays basketball at the Y…nice indoor activities that are welcome distractions to the bedlam outside. People needed a place to go…indoors.
We needed gyms open, not closed…
[Thankfully, the YMCAs are (finally) re-opening today]
Republik, one of my favorite coffee shops in Pasadena certainly understood this from the very start:
Oh, how I appreciated that email.
What a pillar of the community Republik has become. And the best coffee in Pasadena too…
We’ve been enjoying Republik since it opened…
When disaster strikes, life still goes on…I saw that in Kyiv in the midst of war. It must, for the alternative is even worse. People need coffee and groceries, no matter how bad things are. They need a gym too. It’s a coping mechanism and I am thankful for businesses like Republik that serve the public best simply by staying open.