“One of life’s quiet excitements is to stand somewhat apart from yourself and watch yourself softly become the author of something beautiful.” Norman Maclean, A River Runs Through It
Until today, I almost forgot how much I enjoy going to Starbucks and sitting with a cup of coffee and spending time by myself. Of course some of my favorite memories have been made at Starbucks with close friends – having a conversation over coffee, sharing our lives together, and exploring what it means to be human. I can point to countless cups of coffee that forever echo in my heart what it means to be in deep relationship with one another and what it means to look towards becoming the most authentic person we can become.
Yet, I also enjoy another side of Starbucks, the side I explored today by myself. The other Starbucks experience, sitting alone in a chair, sipping a cup of coffee, exploring my own self through a great book, through writing a letter to a friend, or through gazing out the window letting my thoughts float out the window and up to God. It is a break from life, a chance to reflect, and as Norman Maclean writes in A River Runs Through It, a chance to “watch yourself softly become the author of something beautiful.”
Balancing living in community and taking time for one’s self is a challenge. However, learning about this balance has helped me grow and treasure the times alone at Starbucks. I have found a connection with the Dupont Circle Starbucks, with the room of windows looking into the Circle. Sitting, sipping my bold coffee and reading A River Runs Through It today, I was captivated and taken not just to Missoula MT, but into myself. Perhaps in a way I haven’t had for a while, I stepped apart from my own life looked back into myself. In those moments, as I sat, sipping my coffee and journeying with Norman and Paul, I too was journeying with myself. I feel refreshed, ready for another week at Bread for the City.
Perhaps I shouldn’t wait so long to have another coffee by myself at Starbucks.
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