“…It’s a kind of space that offers you to be on your own but not alone; it’s on the threshold of solitude and connectedness, an easy way to bridge the gap…”
I’m curious to check out the local cafe near work at coffee hour today to see how many people are alone, on their phones, taking a break for a $7 hot bean juice. I’m inspired to strike up a conversation with a stranger now, and ask why they visit this coffee shop, what kind of laboring they’re temporarily escaping from, and why they’re spending their precious minutes away from their isolating desk with big screens to continue to be isolated on a tiny screen… but I’m too scared lol. I feel like no matter the cafe, people in the morning and at coffee hour are always giving ‘fuck off’ vibes. It’s like they just want to get in, get their fix, and leave as fast as possible. Avoid eye contact. It’s almost like a gas station, but for people. And I wish it was different. I’d like to talk to people that I don’t work with. But again, scared 😬
Do you strike up conversations with strangers at your local coffee shop?
Me and my husband often hit up a cafe by our apartment to write, but they blast really loud music. It’s hard to hear each other, let alone other people, or even ourselves thinking. They’re usually filled with college kids studying or hanging out in groups. Either way, more fuck off vibes.
But a new dog cafe opened up by my apartment and there’s a whole dog section. The dogs are the ice breaker for the humans. The discussion is usually limited to dogs, but it’s a better vibe than the laboring watering hole. Maybe the step to more connection at cafes is through dogs. We need more dog cafes.
This describes the one thing I appreciate about having to travel a lot for work, the opportunity to just be with and around people without the active need to attend to particular relationships or human concerns.
“…It’s a kind of space that offers you to be on your own but not alone; it’s on the threshold of solitude and connectedness, an easy way to bridge the gap…”
I’m curious to check out the local cafe near work at coffee hour today to see how many people are alone, on their phones, taking a break for a $7 hot bean juice. I’m inspired to strike up a conversation with a stranger now, and ask why they visit this coffee shop, what kind of laboring they’re temporarily escaping from, and why they’re spending their precious minutes away from their isolating desk with big screens to continue to be isolated on a tiny screen… but I’m too scared lol. I feel like no matter the cafe, people in the morning and at coffee hour are always giving ‘fuck off’ vibes. It’s like they just want to get in, get their fix, and leave as fast as possible. Avoid eye contact. It’s almost like a gas station, but for people. And I wish it was different. I’d like to talk to people that I don’t work with. But again, scared 😬
Do you strike up conversations with strangers at your local coffee shop?
Me and my husband often hit up a cafe by our apartment to write, but they blast really loud music. It’s hard to hear each other, let alone other people, or even ourselves thinking. They’re usually filled with college kids studying or hanging out in groups. Either way, more fuck off vibes.
But a new dog cafe opened up by my apartment and there’s a whole dog section. The dogs are the ice breaker for the humans. The discussion is usually limited to dogs, but it’s a better vibe than the laboring watering hole. Maybe the step to more connection at cafes is through dogs. We need more dog cafes.
This describes the one thing I appreciate about having to travel a lot for work, the opportunity to just be with and around people without the active need to attend to particular relationships or human concerns.