Coffeehouse

Currently Listening To: Whatever is playing on the Courthouse Coffee speakers

I decided to write this post on a whim. I am currently sitting in one of my favorite coffee houses in town. Today is my birthday and I found myself sitting alone in the back of a coffee house working on a ridiculously long paper for my senior seminar class. I am proposing an experiment. Doesn't that just sound lovely? Ah well, once I finish I will have two bachelor's degrees. I feel really accomplished.

Anyway, yes, I did say today was my birthday. I am now 22 years old. A freshman asked me today if I was 21 now, and when I told them I was now 22, she was like, "wow, I didn't realize you were that old!" I laughed but it made me realize how big the gap really is between 18 or 19 to 22.

That was my random note of the day.

I decided to write because I have been creeping on everyone in the coffee house for quite a while now. I moved to a prime table in the back just so I could watch people a little bit easier. The sun was setting through the windows and everyone was just relaxing. It is a really nice sight. There is a guy to my left who is working on homework just like I am (or was, now I'm writing this). There is a lady up ahead who has been watching videos on her phone for who knows how long. There is a lady and a man that I have seen here before. The man is wheel chair bound and has disabilities, and the lady always patiently works with him and whatever she is working on. There are two people ahead of me that are just talking. There is a girl at the counter talking to the barista. Two people are sitting in chairs talking about a bunch of random things. There are also two old couples diagonal of me who have been playing games, chatting, and having a good time.

What always amazes me is that everyone in this room has a completely different story than me. They have had completely different days, completely different experiences, different concerns, different successes, different failures, different everything. Yet we all end up here in this little coffee house just for a small amount of time for who knows what reason. We are all here for different reasons but we all make up the atmosphere. It is fascinating.

Nobody in here has any clue who I am, nobody knows that it is my 22nd birthday, nobody knows that earlier today my coworkers sang happy birthday to me and we all ate cake.

Some guy just walked in an ordered hot chocolate.

I thank the Lord for making me a person who is observant, analytical, and someone who is hyper-observant to my surroundings, but not because it makes me awesome. It helps me to take in the people around me and think about other people and not just myself. In a small way it makes me look past my circumstances and think about other people's worlds. All these people are God's creations and He loves them all.

Now the lady who was watching things on her cell phone is working on paperwork.

When tempted to just focus on yourself, I would suggest stopping and taking a moment to look around at (or think about) other people.  You'll start realizing that you're going to make it. The world does not revolve around you.

Time to get back to work. Ciao for now