The Burrow

Lunch at Cafe 54  is delicious in so many ways.  The food is fabulous, the atmosphere is light and lively, and The Editor is always good company. We were breaking bread and sharing stories before she leaves for Maine, and it looked like we'd end up kvelling about our children, once again. At least, that was the plan.  Then The Author walked in. She's a member of the writer's group  at The Clubhouse next door.  It's a safe place where those dealing with mental illness can have a cup of coffee, play a game of cards, read a book, learn a skill, take a class.  Cafe 54 is run as a Clubhouse project staffed by members; the customers are an eclectic mix of jurors on lunch break and downtown office workers and students and those involved in Clubhouse programs.  It looks like very other busy Tucson cafe at lunch time; the difference is evident only in the fact that you pay no tax at a not-for-profit venture.  It's a guided step back into the real world...

Any thoughts I might have entertained on the subject were called into question on January 11, 2008.  Not that I ever gave it much thought.  It had touched my family, but we'd managed to ignore it. I worked along the edges, but never did more than dip a toe in the water. It was an issue for the other .  It wasn't my concern.... right up until the point when it was completely my concern. A mentally ill young man killed my little friend; I confront the aftermath every day of my life.  Bullets shattered a sunny, Saturday morning, along with my hip and my sense of safety and security. Who is that young man over there, muttering to himself?  Why is that woman staring blankly at the sky?  I see danger around every corner.... might they be mad? And if they are?  Do I walk past without saying anything?  Do I mutter and turn my head?  Do I complain to the woman behind me in line?  I watch that happen, and I wonder if, perhaps, there isn't a be...

Lunch was delicious.  The grilled spinach was wilted but not soggy, the bread was crisp and crunchy on the outside and soft and gooey on the inside.  The entire sandwich had structural integrity; I finished it in record time. After lunch, I followed my friend next door, to the conference room. There, I watched something magical explode.  It was subtle, the change in attitude as the hour wore on.  I began as an outsider and left as a friend.  I can't pinpoint the tipping point, but all of a sudden we were all talking about the same thing at the same time, agreeing, laughing, sighing.  It was respectful and joyful and rueful all at the same time.  It's been a while since I've felt this way. Cafe 54 is a project of the Coyote Taskforce , whose mission is to support individuals recovering from persistent, chronic mental illnesses; to help them regain their ability to move towards their recovery with a focus on reintegration into the community. My f...