ArabicaHigh

The fragrance of roasted coffee beans wavers heavily in the air, an aroma that is both humble and rich, tinged with hints of history and boundless possibility. The common coffee shop is a destination for dreamers and realists alike and an escape from the logical continuity of habitual life. As you enter, a spirit of tenderness drapes you in the fur of the earth's most homeothermic friends and beckons you to make yourself at home. You quickly look for a place to sit and with each strike of your shoes, the floorboards creek with stories of days past, an indication that you are walking a path of history, one too great for the borders of a page. The table you choose to sit at is illuminated by the intensity of 10,000 suns that seem to exist solely to bring light to the small confinements of your being. In retrospect, the journey to your seat was short but paramount, marked by a sense of looseness in your limbs and gained liveliness. I imagine the feeling of looking at photos of childhood and glowing experiences, and I can't help but feel a sense of familiarity. The coffee shop is such a paradoxical place, and the more time I spend in this cocoon, the further my mind seems to spread its wings.

I imagine those who came before me and occupied the seats that are now indistinguishable by age and experience. I wonder where they are in life now and what came of their time spent in this little hole in the wall. I wonder about the years of friendship that were spurred by chance meetings, meetings that now fuel passionate conversations of present day. I wonder if a little thing called love was allowed to be fostered in this place, and an accidental spilling of coffee led to destined happenstance and the formation of a beautiful family. I wonder if fate is as curious as I am. I wonder about the type of people that came here as well. Were there students who spent hours talking about science, clueless to the fact that they would be on the verge of a reality-bending discovery years later? Were there rebels that sparked the conversation of revolution that was to bring about future change? Were there hopeless romantics who felt they were not deserving of love, only to find the love they so desired within? Were there talks of death? Were there talks of life and the importance of triviality? I wonder.

I also imagine the potential of the room I sit in currently. I see familiar faces and faces of unknown characters in stories that are well beyond my horizon. I wonder what their dreams are and what makes them smile. I wonder what things they will go on to do in the future. I wonder how they will change the world. I wonder if they will spread kindness or be charmed by darkness. I wonder if they will ever think of the time they spent here and if they will have fond memories. I wonder.

As for me, years down the line, when I am a great scientist, I will think of the times I had in this little coffee shop. I will feel proud that our little web has grown, and will most likely encompass the whole nation, maybe even the whole world. I will never be with this group of people again, nor will I ever know all of them, which is a maddening thing to say. Life is a lot more enjoyable when you escape the confines of your little perspective and realize that the uniqueness and complexity of life are but a common denominator of all human life. Or maybe it is just a coffee shop, and I'm spiraling. Who's to say? One thing I know for sure is that this coffee shop is a cool ass place.