There’s nothing like the first Monday of the school year for reality (read: panic) to set in.

After a weekend filled with irresponsible, yet totally enjoyable procrastination and laziness, Monday was killer. And not in a good way.

However, this gave me the opportunity for a much needed break, and an hour long visit to The Coffee Grounds proved to be exactly what I needed.

Kitchenware, gourmet foods, wine, beer, and bags upon bags of tea and coffee filled the spacious shop.

There was stuff everywhere, and I was completely unprepared.

After all, I had just endured my first hectic Monday of the semester, and all I had wanted was to sit down and cool off from both my anxiety and the unseasonably hot weather with a cold cup of blended coffee. I was desperate for that relaxed coffee shop atmosphere, and it didn’t look like I would be getting it that day.

My friend and I ordered our drinks, and when we sat down, we discussed how unprepared we were for what we had encountered.

That’s the thing about adventuring and trying out new things — you never know what you’re going to get. Sometimes, you’re not going to find what you were expecting. And that’s OK.

You might be a little disappointed at first, or maybe you realize you definitely have not found your new favorite spot. But as you take it all in, you realize you’re glad you at least tried something new. Many people are not able to say that on a regular basis, and how boring that must be.

Rather than savoring our drinks from our table, we wandered around the store for the majority of our time at The Coffee Grounds.

And let me tell you, there is much exploring to be done in that shop.

Colorful pottery, gourmet cheeses I’ve never even heard of, cooking utensils I could not fathom the purpose for, and much more filled the shelves of the shop. How could someone not enjoy looking around this eclectic store?

As someone who still lives in the dorms and buys virtually zero food, I had little use for the store’s interesting options for food and kitchenware. I wish I had a use for the stuff they had to sell, or that I could casually buy wedges of Gouda cheese to store in my mini fridge. On top of that, over half of the store was dedicated to alcohol that I am not old enough to buy.

The fact of the matter is the store just is not targeting me, a typical college student. I had not found a new favorite place, but not because it wasn’t a great place. Hey, I had a ton of fun. I killed an hour and relieved a lot of stress, but it just wasn’t for me.

Although I probably won’t make it back to The Coffee Grounds, I’m so glad I went.