Today I decided to do something that doesn't seem like a big deal, but it struck me as a good challenge, one meant to give me the chance to breathe and be more present. I went to a coffee house and sat with a cup of my new favorite drink, a hot chai tea latte - and here was the challenge - without reading or looking at my phone or in any way distracting myself.
This coffee house is inside a grocery store, and I sat myself so that I had a good view of the comings and goings of the staff and customers. I was so tempted to pick up my book; I've been reading David Copperfield and was itching to continue, but instead I just sat and sipped and observed.
The playwright in me spontaneously made up little stories about the people who came into view. That young Asian man with the glasses and his hair parted in the middle: he's studying to be a doctor but only because his parents urged him to; he'd much rather be a painter. The brisk woman with the enviable ponytail: she's divorced and is enjoying her new freedom, although she's worried about her kids, who are becoming snarky teenagers. The bald man with the limp wearing a Seahawks sweatshirt: he has been close to homelessness several time, but each time finds a way to bring himself back from the brink of poverty. Now that he's getting older, he knows he needs forge a path toward solvency and security, but isn't quite sure how to do that. His social worker tells him not to be too hard on himself, but he realizes he is paying the price now for his rowdy, self-indulgent youth.
My reward for not disappearing into a book or my phone was that I noticed when a friend passed by. I called to her and we ended up sitting together having a nice chat. So I guess I ended up distracted after all, but in a lovely way, and one I might have missed if I hadn't kept myself open to and interested in the world around me.
No comments:
Post a Comment