Sunday Morning at the Monkey

I'm sipping my coffee, sitting at my favorite table in the corner at the Frothy Monkey and listening to  Neil Young before I head down to see my mom this morning.

The Christmas decorations are in bloom, which I love.  Employees' stockings are hung from the winding staircase leading to the upstairs office.  White Christmas lights line the windows and hang from the office doorway.  The early Sunday morning regulars are shuffling in sitting in their usual places.  

I typically get here early on Sundays, around opening time at 7 a.m.  I like to watch the coffee shop open up.  Josh, Grant and the other employees laugh and banter easily back and forth, comfortable in the rhythm of their conversations.  There's a familiarity to it all which I find comforting, like an old sweater or a pair of old jeans.

Josh and his wife, Rachel, run the Frothy Monkey in 12South.  I don't know them well, although Josh and I exchange small talk whenever I stop in.  They're two of the most positive, optimistic people I've ever met in the way they deal with people and seemingly in their approach to life.  It rubs off on all of the employees and, as a result, the vibe at the Monkey is unmatched at any coffee house I've visited in town, although Honest Coffee Roasters comes close.

I've never seen Josh not seem happy to be here.  Grant, his friend and a talented barista and fellow musician, is the same way.  Always friendly, always has a kind word for me.  Neither of them know that part of the reason I come here on Sunday mornings is to recharge my batteries and gather my emotional energy before I visit my mom.  He's almost like a bartender, speaking to the regular customers about sports or asking about their morning as he makes a predictably excellent coffee drink.

Virtually every new employee seems to take on Josh's personality (and Grant's personality).  It's a leadership thing, no doubt.  Frequenting coffee houses as much as I do, I've learned that so much of the vibe flows directly from the manager.  The Frothy Monkey in 12South is a perfect example of that.

Time to get up and get on with my day, a good Thanksgiving weekend almost behind me.