Coffee and Converstions

It is 7am and I am enjoying some "me" time at my local Starbucks.  When I arrived at 6:15am it was quiet, with only one person here besides myself.  By 7 the place is bustling with consumers of blended coffees.  I myself came to try the new Blonde blend.  I drink my coffee black and yes the standard Starbucks blend is a little too strong for me.  The rain was lightly falling when I arrived and it was still dark.  Now the sun is starting to come up and every type of person you can imagine is filing in to get their morning jolt.  Construction workers line up next to Chanel dressed businesswomen, who line up next to old timers who still enjoy getting their news from a paper, who line up next to teenagers stopping in on their way to school.  It amazes me that in any other place these people would probably not even give the other person a second glance much less engage them in vibrant conversation the way it happens while they wait in line for their fix.

I come just for this reason, to watch.  It amazes me the camaraderie that comes with coffee.  It is like a glue that binds people from all aspects of life together for a short time.  There is no judgement, no snide looks, just conversations about what the day has in store for each of them.  The businesswomen who is rushing to a meeting, the teenagers who are worried about being late to school and the test they have in calculus, the old timers worrying about the state of the country.  All of these topics are tossed around and people seem genuinely interested in each other's days. 

The baristas are refreshing to watch too.  They know the regulars.  They know people's names, what they drink, how they take it and all kinds of tidbits about their customers' lives.  If you are not a regular, like me, they ask what brought you in, and seem sincerely interested in your answer.  They are at times ridiculously upbeat, I assume this is from consuming a little too much of what they sell, but it is nice to see someone who seems to enjoy their job and their customers.

If you are not a coffee shop patron I highly recommend trying it out, if only to watch the people. It is never a waste of time to observe your fellow man.