I’m sitting in a cafe. It’s the middle of the day, just after 1:00.
Most other people in here are also on their laptops, working on something whether it be work-related or school.
I mean, that’s why I’m here, to focus. There’s something so motivating about changing your environment and I’m not sure why. I can imagine that’s why many people come here – to change their environment, to focus, to get out of their heads for just a minute.
Others who are not working on laptops are making chit-chat, embracing their friends, making small talk with the baristas at the counter.
Most of them, probably in their mid-forties, smile as they make exchanges. Some don’t.
There’s a girl about my age by herself, wearing her hair in long, blonde braids. Pretty, but she doesn’t smile. She types away on her phone probably in an effort to seem busy. Or maybe she’s actually busy. I can never tell.
Most people my age tend to use their phones in times of silence, rather than just sit and be still. I couldn’t tell you why that is.
Maybe it’s to avoid looking around aimlessly, or keep anyone from trying to talk to her.
I feel like it’s a defense mechanism. People my age have always had an outlet, a distraction, sitting right in their back pocket. We often are so in touch with what goes on on our little screens that we never sit back and enjoy the present, even for a minute.
She is now joined by a friend, similar age. Her friend wears her hair in a short bob. Together, they’re the stereotypical blonde/brunette duo.
The second girl takes her phone out, too. I want to say to them, “Just talk to each other. You’re both there, right in front of one another. Why don’t you just talk?”
But I decide to mind my own business.
Who am I to judge as I sit here with my headphones in, eyes locked on my own screen?
There’s an older man on a video call a few tables away. He wears large head phones, and his outfit doesn’t match. The man remains standing rather than sitting at the bar where his laptop is. I wonder why he does that.
He speaks at a respectful volume, careful not to bother those around him. I can’t imagine why he chose a busy coffee shop to go to a meeting, but he seems unbothered.
Some more people have walked in, a couple more men – one is probably mid to late fifties, the other maybe his forties.
They’re dressed in very different attire. The older one looks like he’s taking his lunch break from work – a dress shirt, a vest, nice khakis and dress shoes.
The other one looks is dressed far more casual – beanie, sunglasses, flannel.
I wonder what they’re talking about.
As the afternoon goes on, pairs of people and individuals have come and gone, chatting, laughing with each other, for a few minutes or for hours at a time.
Funny thing about observing people, you sit and wonder what goes on in these lives, these lives you may only witness for a total of five minutes.
Any person in here could be excited about a job promotion, grieving a loved one, or just living another ordinary day.
People watching is an interesting reminder that every individual in a single room is going through an entirely different thought process, an entirely different set of emotions, every single minute.
We’re often so caught up in our own personal reality, we forget to consider that in this world that is so big, our own issues are only so small.
And even in a cafe, with less than fifteen people in it at once, each person may not give a second thought to anyone else in the room.
In the big scheme of things, we are so small, seemingly pointless, but not pointless at the same time. I think that’s beautiful.
Love always,
Kristin
love always, kristin 
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