Bloom Café

Back in 2016, I used to see my amazingly funny friends no less than twice a week. We played kickball together, and our team had fun. We won some games. We lost some games, but it would be tough to find a team who got along as well as we did. In addition to kickball, we had potlucks. We celebrated holidays. We all became good friends off the field, and it was a wonderful time in my life.

Fast forward six years and some of my kickball teammates live on Okinawa too! I got to see one yesterday at an event planning meeting, and I got to meet two other teammates for breakfast today. It was an absolute treat! They are still as funny as they were six years ago.

Cafes on Okinawa are also a treat. The food and coffee are prepared with such attention-to-detail and such care; the end product is that you get a beautiful plate of delicious food, and you get outstanding coffee as well. The décor in the cafés is unique and beautiful. No two cafes are the same. They are all small businesses so any time you visit a café, you know you are supporting the local community. I love supporting small businesses, so this is a bonus.

One of the challenges with cafes on Okinawa is that it’s tricky to find cafes that are open when you want them to be open. Their times and days vary, and often they change them up. I can’t seem to keep up with the changes so I never know which ones are open when.

Let’s get back to my friends…

My friends are busy ladies. They are both busy moms, and they are very involved in their children’s lives. They are good mamas for sure! One is a small business owner. She had a design business that is thriving. (Her business can be found at https://www.facebook.com/DKelleyUniqueCreations .) The other friend works in a school, and I am sure that her calm demeanor is exactly what the students need. Because each of us has our own busy schedule, carving out time to meet isn’t always easy. We found a day that worked for schedules. The next trick was finding a time. 8:00am worked for all three of us, so our final challenge would be to find a café that opened as early as 8am. Mind you, we don’t have places like IHOP or the Waffle House. Instead, Okinawa has these wonderful, unique cafes, with limited hours of operation. I have found that most cafes are open for lunch; yet few are open for breakfast.

Dee said that Bloom would be open, and we were ALL IN. I had never been, and it was outstanding! I can see why she frequents the place. https://bloomcoffeeokinawa.business.site/

The menu is made up of various sandwiches. Dee recommends the BLT. You can also find beautiful oatmeal bowls. I chose the dish that had ALL the things. My plate included eggs, a small salad, French toast, and bacon. Every bite was outstanding, but the COFFEE…

The coffee was its own special treat. I got a latte, and it was better than any Starbucks latte I have ever had. (Sorry Starbucks. I love ya, but Bloom made a better cup of coffee for me today.) It is no wonder their coffee is good. They ground the beans for every cup they make. The pour over is timed to the second. I actually saw them throw out some coffee because they let the pour over go too long. He said the extra ten seconds makes a difference, so he tossed it. Can you believe it? Letting the water sit over the grounds for ten seconds meant that this coffee was trash. No wonder it tastes so good.

Seeing my friends and hearing about their work, their kids, their travels, and their lives was so wonderful. I don’t know why it took us so long to meet, and I am so grateful we found time to do it! There are times in your life when you find easy friendships. To me easy friendships are the ones that you can just come back to. Whether it’s been two days or two years, the conversations are easy. Easy friendships are the ones where you can show up as you are, and you know you have entered into a no-judgement-zone. Easy friendships are the ones where you lift each other up, and you know you can count on each other. I am so grateful to have friends who let me back into their space, even when it has been far too long. Just because they are easy doesn’t mean they should be taken for granted. When you find your easy friends, hold those friendships close to your heart because those are the friendships you need the most.

When you can meet those special friends for breakfast, be sure to find a place that makes special food and a special cup of coffee for you. You won’t regret it.