This note was passed along to me earlier this morning. To be honest, I usually don't spend the requisite 4 minutes reading these kinds of letters...For some reason, however, I did read this one.
After you read it, imagine something good in your life. I did, and came up with a list over a page long. It was a nice exercise...
Dear Friends:
If you stopped by the World Flavor Café, you know by now that we’ve been closed these past two weeks, and you’ve probably read our short message at the door. This message is to expand on that.
Allow me to be philosophical for a moment. Life’s dreams are meant to be realized no matter how they turn out. If in reality, the outcome is different from the dream, then the outcome simply becomes fodder for new dreams. My dream for many years was to make people happy by feeding them. That dream was realized the moment we opened our doors 10 months ago, and was fulfilled each time you visited us. If I could continue that without having to worry about making ends meet, I would keep the restaurant open forever. In reality, however, we simply ran out of money and energy.
To make it more, shall we say interesting, I was diagnosed with breast cancer six months ago. If this was meant as a test, let me assure you that I survived that test with flying colors, having completed my last chemotherapy session today. Of course, given the choice of surviving the chemotherapy or surviving the first year of the restaurant, I chose the former, and almost survived the latter, so there is nothing to be sad about.
I have learned two important life lessons this past year that I would like to share with you. The first is that friendship in the face of adversity is something I will cherish more than ever. Not just the friendship of you, my dear clients and neighbors, but the friendship of my family, my employees and my suppliers. Your support and encouragement has sustained me.
The second life lesson learned is that, as Joni Mitchell put it, ‘you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone’. World Flavor Café was special because it was a labor of love – good food, cooked with love. If you miss it, and many of you have written to me saying so, please understand that I miss it, too. But while I never had the luxury of taking the restaurant for granted, I did take my health for granted, so these past six months have made me appreciate good health more than anything else.
My future is promising – the doctor is confident that I will be cured, and today, the healing begins. The restaurant will probably not open in its original form, as I look into the various options of selling the business, partnering with someone else, or leasing the space. If any of you have any ideas, let me know.With this chapter coming to an end, I still hold on to the original dream – I love to make people happy by feeding them, and I will continue to do so. It just won’t be combined with a business.
Now is the time to celebrate dreams and good health. I’m hoping to have a celebratory dinner at the restaurant someday soon, and would like to invite those of you who would like to join in the celebration. Let me know.With love, Susan
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