Loitering Permitted

   

    I met up with Kim and Matty at Madhouse Coffee, a highly-rated cozy independent shop that broadcasts their socio-political views with bright bold artwork covering most of the surfaces (including the black light-lit bathroom)! I love a coffee shop that isn’t afraid to offend, but I think even the most sensitive among us might turn a blind eye to enjoy the vegan-conscious deliciousness served there, such as the “mustachio” (pistachio-white chocolate) mocha. 

     I think Kim was the first person I sent a Facebook friend request to that I didn’t know in person already. She had a celebrity-like status in the main 75 hard challenge Facebook group page; her writing and her story was always inspiring, and when she invited me to join a smaller group she’d formed of 75hard participants that were really on the level, I was honored. 

     Kim and Matty had met through their fitness journeys, and were completely at ease in each other’s company, bringing “love is patient, love is kind” as their couple vibe, and I felt instantly at ease in it.

    I only expected to have an hour or so of time with them, but there was no hurry as we meandered through topics—from shifting away from “hustle culture”, embracing hyper-fixations for what they are, and how social media impacts our mental state (as well as how it feels like a necessary evil) to politics, neurodivergent life, and protecting our peace. Before long, we had used up the better part of four hours— Kim and I hopping delightfully from topic to topic, with Matty casually interjecting his thoughts along the way. 

     THIS is what coffee shops are FOR!Lingering, connecting, dreaming, thinking, solving the problems of the world… 

    Humans never used to eat and drink alone, or on the run in the way we do now. Always in a hurry to get to the next thing: time,food, drink— life’s moments… aren’t to be hurried through. They are to be, as much as possible, enjoyed and shared with others—especially the ones that can easily make one hour turn into four without noticing.

     Connection challenge for you all this week- don’t eat alone. Don’t drink alone. Savor those meals, those moments WITH someone. Even better, make a meal together.