“Good Morning! How are you?” are my first words to the customers that consistently get the worm. I usually work in the AM (6:30-12:00 with the adjusted COVID schedule), and let me tell you, getting out of bed at 5:30 to beat Marcus to the cafe is not the most enjoyable thing to do, especially when you’re not a morning person.

We heard so many amazing stories from people's experiences at Tala this week. In fact, we had way more submissions than we were prepared for, so it has taken several extra days to sort through it all. Thank you to everyone who shared their memories and thoughts about our cafe. We are so honored by the community and stories you’ve provided! We’ve chosen the top five memories, and randomly picked the winner of the $200 giveaway. Read all five stories below and see who is the lucky grand prize winner.

We’ve made it to the end, folks. End of the week, last look back on year two before we shove all nostalgia down and stuff it into the vault until next August. I won’t have as colorful storytelling as Matt, as eloquent language as Conner, or as sentimental, tear-jerking material as Marcus, but what I can do is ramble on aimlessly for awhile like I normally do. You should all be used to that by now.

I started at Tala in the midst of the pandemic, where many of us have been able to pursue new hobbies, interests, and curiosities. My goal throughout the more at-home time during quarantine was to spend more time with my family. I haven’t lived at home for many years, and this was a perfect opportunity to spend time with my loved ones.

Regardless of where you are in life or what you're going through, life has a funny way of bringing you joy. In my case, everything began changing for the better when I came to Tala. I was brought on board to the team the day before the cafe's first birthday last year. And let me tell you, so much has happened that this past year has felt like three.

I happen to be fond of a poet named William Carlos Williams. You may know him from high school English class. Chances are he wrote one of, if not the poem that caused you to think poetry is dumb.

I was off work the fateful day. That didn’t stop me from cruising right on over at 1 o’clock. The sun provided an excellent ray of brightness into a rather dry and frigid day. I don’t like cold. I wear pants any degree under 71…

I’ve spent the last eight-ish months about 3,000 miles away from Highwood due to the COVID situation. If the whole virus thing hadn’t happened, I’d probably be in the café right now—either on shift or doing some academic work or playing a card game...

When I think back at the second year of our cafe, so many memories come to mind. From throwing parties to meeting new people to sharing conversations. The thing that stands out immediately for me above the rest is actually day one. We kicked off year two with an amazing birthday bash.