East Nashville is for beards

Today (which was actually a few days ago, since I never finished this post)  is one of my best friends' birthday, and we celebrated at a pizza place called Five points pizza in East nashville.  I normally don't fancy pizza, but this was amazing.  I ordered the special of the day called the "Bianca" something...or something bianca (I forget, but it had the name Bianca in it) and it was with ricotta cheese, spinach, roasted garlic and roma tomatoes; perfectly thin and juicy, literally dripping with melted cheeses and garlicky goodness!  I ordered a side of their house marinara sauce (for an upcharge of $0.75), and I must say, it was a darn good slice of pizza.  If you're ever in town and find yourself in East Nashville (which you should if you like seeing beards, dog-walkers, movies on the lawn, and eclectic art displays) Five Points Pizza will not disappoint your stomach...no matter how hungry you are or are not.  Yea, I know, I really liked the bianca slice...or should I say my slice of Bianca :P

Five Points Pizza booth

There is just something so endearing about having just enough money (aside from what you store in the bank for emergencies...which just means you're sort of stingy, and by "you're" I really mean "me") for a good slice of pizza and cup of joe with friends that tell you about their dogs, their dating lives, and of course the annoying people they encounter at their jobs.  Not that we are annoyed at anyone, not at all.  We love everyone. Ok, that was intended as sarcasm (which most of you probably picked up on), but re-reading it I realize it may make us sound snobby like we think everyone is annoying, and that we're these cool cats.  I'm allergic to cats.  I meant that we do find people annoying, like a guilty pleasure, but we vent in a sort of playful way like tossing water balloons at each other, if that makes sense.  I don't condone gossiping, though I find myself having to smack my mouth more than a few times when I catch myself doing it out of habit or some strange idea that it's okay so long as it's entertaining.  But here's to pizza, birthdays, and water balloon fights.

       East Nashville is just such a fun little area to walk around in, granted you steer clear of the ghetto parts as all cities have them in the nooks and corners.  Nashville in general is inhabited by hipsters, but East Nashville seems to harbor the more "dirty-bearded", the hippie hipsters, but they're also just the more content, the more merry, and more relaxed than the central hipsters.  Most of the coffee shops and restaurants in East Nashville carry a cool vibe, like Barista Parlor (a coffee shop built into an old farm storehouse) and the Wild Cow (a vegan joint  where all the workers are tatted up with neon hair and mustaches and or equally wild hippie attire.  I've probably mentioned the Wild Cow several times now because it's one of the only vegan places that also has such a fun and chill atmosphere.  Not to mention their nachos and buffalo tempeh are amazing! --those are two separate dishes).

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       I was reading today and came across this line, something like "do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in everything consider others more significant than yourselves."  I had to let that soak in for a while before I could really put the pieces of those instructions together.  To let go of what I want; more money, more clothes to feel pretty, adoration from boys, recognition from intelligent people, perfection for myself and from others toward me, haha, clearly this is more honest than I'd like to or normally would share).  Trying to do things that would help other people sounds so ... nice.  At first glance it seems counter-intuitive, that to let go of my ambitions and things I want seem ludicrous to attaining my own happiness, but there is something mysteriously beautiful about helping someone other than yourself that conjures up a joy and a meaningful moment.  What is life if not for meaning and joy?  Then what is meaning, and what brings about deep joy?  I am searching for these things, and sometimes I find them, but most of the time I am looking for them in my selfish ambitions and vanity, and when I do I'm left almost completely depleted of any joy or meaning.  The thrill of a paycheck or a hot date always vanishes in a short time frame, leaving nothing of meaning to sustain joy, but when I take time to love someone by buying them lunch or listening to their story and sharing about Gods love for them, I find myself growing and developing an understanding that I take with me like engravings on my heart; embroidering the highlights of my story, my life.  I am but a branch and Jesus is the vine that lets me live, apart from Him I wither and cannot produce anything of sustenance.  

Five Points Pizza would really hit the spot right now... le sigh. haha.  I am about to head out to a friends' dinner party, so arriving with a pizza filled tummy would not be very nice.  ;)