The Characters We Meet

I’ve been a bit out of my writing grind and as I sit here, blissfully engaged in my 16oz oat milk cappuccino, spacing out in one of my favorite local coffee shops, I am feeling entirely uninspired. Usually, the brick walls of this coffee shop and its bustling atmosphere of people sparks inspiration within my little writer’s mind. 

But here we are, on a Thursday afternoon, with muscle fatigue, a long to do list, a delicious cup of coffee and a sudden, unfamiliar lack of words. 

I’ve been told stories exist all around us. I wonder what inspiration is hiding in the conversations and lives of these coffee shop goers. 

To my right are three millennials - embracing the classic hipster look with flannels and beanies. The two young men focus intently on their hp and dell laptops - their lack of macbook informs me that they are computer people. They prefer a laptop that they can personalize and adjust its settings instead of the less nuanced, user-friendly macbooks that permeate the worklife of many, less intensely tech-savvy, young people. The young woman who sits with them eats her bagel with cream cheese and scribbles little phrases or sketches into her tiny notebook. Her short haircut and cute coat remind me of the New York poets and book lovers of my favorite early 2000s chick flicks, in which the artsy girl spends her days writing poetry in coffee shops and running an art gallery downtown. 

Beyond my table, straight in front of me, is a small table with a single older gentleman with swoopy gray hair, square spectacles, and a cup of black coffee to go. He yawns and slowly takes a sip of his black coffee. His attention flits between his phone and his surroundings. He yawns again as he takes another call. I wonder if he is a businessman? On his phone with a potential client, sealing a big deal between sips of joe. Or are those looks around the room ones of paranoia? Perhaps he is a spy with a fascinating secret life. He takes calls from his agents out in the field, using the coffee and his basic cardigan as a boring cover for his intense and very undercover line of work. It might be his suspicious, laid back demeanor or the intense attention he is paying to his phone - but something about this man seems to exude a mysterious story…A woman walks over to the table and joins him. Her belongings, which marked her seat as taken, had been out of my view. She is a simple woman. They exchange a few comments before she gets up to look at another book on the shelves. Perhaps this man is simply enjoying coffee with his wife, exhausted from a sleepless night of work or a long, hard week.

Towards my left, two women in dramatic, stylish hats, enter the coffee shop and settle down at the other table in front of ours. The older woman, perhaps in her 40s, wears a blue, floral dress and a bright blue, straw, garden hat with a thick ribbon across the front. The younger woman, who appears to be in her 20s, wears a small beret with a thick smattering of feathers on the side and a cute bow. They exchange valentines with one another, including a heart box of chocolates wearing a leather jacket. Another young woman joins them, her outfit is much more modern and she lacks a stylish hat. But they quickly switch to a new table, invite her to join them, and pull out an entire dish of pie and berries to eat on their ‘afternoon outing.’

Directly to my right is another table of three people, also in their 20s or 30s. The man of the group has embraced the hipster life, sporting a man bun and long hair. The three young adults exchange funny stories and business proposals, moving between computer work, personal stories, playful debate and stifled laughter. I tune into their conversation to hear an out of context debate about smoking in your 20s. 

In the far corner of the coffee shop are eight or so individuals gathered together at a table. Are they college students? Are they there for a leadership meeting, a bible study, an RA support session or a class? They remind me of the large gathering of high schoolers who I have often encountered at this coffee shop. These high schoolers gather with a few young adults from their church - though for a while I couldn’t tell if they were from a theatre group or a church group because the overlap of interests in the group is strong. Teenagers would giggle and pull up chairs to the ever growing circle dominating the coffee shop. Laughter and gossip and coffee relished in the company of their peers and mentors, usually pulling my attention from my work, but also causing me to smile at the intentional fostering of community.

Throughout my times visiting this coffee shop, I’ve seen many interesting individuals, many of whom aren’t actually here today. An old gentleman with white hair proudly wearing his bright red TRUMP hat and sitting with airpods--new technology against the flesh of an old soul. He often camouflages into the right side of the coffee shop, alone at a table, doing some computer work. When he is not there, I have often witnessed a younger, teenage, proud Trump hat wearer in his place, gaming on his computer and wearing a headset to talk to his friends. 

Sometimes, when I pause and think about these people I see in coffee shops, the ones I don’t know, who are clearly from different communities and walks of life than I am, I am surprised by the well of empathy at my disposal in the humble communal space of a coffee shop. When I really stop and realize they are not just caricatures or background characters in my life, but they are real people, talking to their real friends, partners, or families, I am humbled. They have vastly different and unique lives but they too are tired, hard working people in desperate need of coffee or a laugh with their community. They have stories and interests and whole different lives from mine, that converge for just a moment, as we all sit in this building that serves us coffee. 

My challenge to you all today, next time you are in a coffee shop or library or some other community space, take a moment to notice all the different people around you. It is beautiful to see the diversity of human experience just within a coffee shop. And the unity, at the same time, after all, most of us are there for similar reasons, to find a book, or get work done, or see a friend, and enjoy a warm cup of coffee…or maybe a coffee on ice. 

Unity & diversity, even in our coffee shops. 

Sincerely, 

Sophi