I imagine the two of us meeting for coffee today at a medium-sized cafe that has a mix of open spaces and small nooks. There are dark painted walls, mismatched chairs and plenty of high mounted mirrors to reflect the great lighting that a designer caringly curated. Windows frame the rays from the sun, and the air is clean with spider plants and dieffenbachias.
The floors are concrete and there is dried paint splattered there. The cafe’s wooden tables are worn, well-loved and also for sale. (You spotted that detail as you eyed the grilled cheese being enjoyed by a person drinking tea.) I love how you’re so observant.
Maybe the space is lined with black and white portraits and colorful paintings in frames made from metal, wood and twine… cork, seashells and discarded rulers. These glimpses of lives well lived stretch high to the tin ceilings. There are people of all ages and backgrounds here, and we’re inspired by their sense of personal style and the way they love a great coffee house vibe. We exchange smiles with a passerby, and in that moment we notice the gentle vocals from the live one-person show.
As I imagine us meeting in this way — excited to be seeing you, a friend I so look forward to spending time with — I’d want to know how you are, what has been in your heart and on your mind lately and what has been lighting you up inside. I’d want to know about your latest adventures and your latest sticking points too. Maybe we could work through some of it together.
We’d talk about books, for sure. What you have read or listened to lately. Most of all, what you learned or found intriguing. Especially what astonished you.
I’d share what I’ve been reading too. I always have one paperback or hardcover book going along with at least one audio book. I read the book first thing every morning. And I listen to audio books on almost every walk, car or elliptical ride, and often when I’m cleaning. I’d share that with you, then we’d come back to the hard copies and what was underlined. I love hearing about what you underlined. And I also love sharing some of my underlined sections.
Perhaps I’ll share some underlined book sentences or short sections with you here until we can enjoy that coffee for real. And then maybe you can share yours back with me in the comments so others can benefit from your findings too. Or share them with me privately by replying to this email.
As I would in person, I may or may not add context to the underlined parts. Sometimes things just need to sit a bit, sink in, just be there in your psyche. And it can be enough that we find something interesting in the moment we read it. Maybe the why of it will happen later. Maybe not. It doesn’t matter.
If it moves us, educates us, entertains us, expands our understanding of a subject or a person, I think it’s worthwhile. Such as these:
1.
“The trick to overcoming the paralysis of mental entrapment is to ignore the instinct to act immediately. Often the best way to deal with being mentally stuck is to do less.”
Anatomy of a Breakthrough by Adam Alter, page 61
2.
“Hope begins in the dark, the stubborn hope that if you just show up and try to do the right thing, the dawn will come. You wait and watch and work: you don’t give up.”
Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott, page xxiv
Wishing you a fabulously rich first day of May. May you find your way through every challenge and rise to meet it. Rise today. Then, really shine. Until next time.