Starbucks and Toile

Ah, Starbucks. Vanilla Latte. Random Reggae music by Toots and the Maytals. Tracy Chapman, Bob Dylan and Alanis Morissette for sale on the CD rack. The perfect environment in which to work. Occassionally I like to leave the confines of my cubicle and go work in a cafe. Usually I am surrounded by other 20-40 somethings enjoying the corporate coffee world.

But today is different. In 1 hour I counted 6 sr. citizens enjoying their golden years (one proudly wearing his WW II vet hat as he should be proudly wearing it), 1 gentleman who looked like ZZ Top from the neck up and, well... my Dad from the neck down (khaki's, plaid button down shirt), and then their was the lonely 20 something dad of a newborn baby girl, pushing a ginormous stroller. Nothing wrong with that, it was just interesting. Usualy you see the frazzled and tired mom's in Starbucks, not the suddenly overwhelmed new fathers. And no ladies, he was not wearing a wedding ring. The plot thickens.

So what is it about people watching that is so facsinating that it can keep us occupied sometimes for hours? On one level perhaps it's just a distraction from doing the things we should be doing, a form of procrastination. Perhaps it is a selfish and arrongant way to feel better about myself ("At least I'm not like her."). Or maybe it's just a reminder to me that the old cliche is true - there really is a drama behind every face. We are complex creatures. There is a story to each life I observe. I wonder if the overwhelmed Dad is happy with life. Why is the guy in the cowboy hat embarrased to buy the Tracy Chapman CD and why did he quickly walk over and put it back? Is our own angst in life only because we spend so much time focusing on these little snippets, instead of the greater, larger story?

Really, I think people watching is facsinating because it reminds me that there is a larger story. Most of the time that's encouraging to me, especially when the snippet I known to be my current reality kind of, well... stinks.

I like Starbucks and cafe's. It's a good place to get some work done. And you should see what the guy who just walked in is wearing. Should guys ever wear toile shirts and tapered jeans that fall at the ankle? Is that a new trend?