Coffee Thoughts

I was waiting in line for a coffee the other day and a man asked the barista if they had an extra mask lying around as he forgot one as he left the house. I began rooting around in my bag to see if I had an extra but, no luck. I told him to try the cheap convenient store next door as the pharmacy would charge an arm and a leg. He was genuinely thankful and began a conversation asking where I was from and how long I had been there before falling on the most mundane and banal question of all, “So, how have you been getting on with the whole pandemic?” I knew right there that I didn’t want to talk much more and I would rather grab my coffee and so I responded, “Actually, very well. I’ve been staying very busy” before waving him off. That was a sincere response to his question. I had travelled when it was permitted, began and finished a post-grad, and started and stopped two jobs, all while staying as active as possible. It wasn’t for a moment later that I thought that maybe the only reason he was asking was that he hadn’t taken the last year and a half as well as I had and he had no one to talk about his possible frustrations with. He had no one to open up to and was genuinely looking for a friend.

Whether there is any truth in that context I don’t know but, I think It’s these moments that most people consider unimportant but which I think should at least be explored. We get too caught up in discussing ourselves and forget to ask questions back. Whether or not you actually care about the person across from you it’s always good to get some insight as to what’s going on in their world. You could make their day or at the very least learn something that will help you in the end. I am here analysing a 1 minute and 30-second conversation I had with a guy that I will probably never see again but I think it’s making me just a little better. If I didn’t write it down I might forget it. So, go out and talk to people and never forget to listen back. It’s easy to boast and lament but it takes patience and understanding to listen to someone else’s happiness and struggles.