A coffee prostitute

I prostituted myself this morning. I went to a coffee shop besides Dad’s Place. I feel so cheap.

I had to go to Little Rock this a.m. to take our Sequoia to the body shop. Its front left fender was decorated by my mom’s Jeep in a kind attempt to add some color to our rather neutral-colored SUV. I made mandatory stops at a couple of bookstores and then wound up (sssshhhh, don’t tell Jim) at Starbucks.

Now, Starbucks has nothing on Dad’s Place. I’ll be the first to say that. But what is different is just the amount of people in there today. Hey, it’s Little Rock, not Monticello. However, as I sat there journaling, reading and thinking, I just had to stop and consider the dynamics of what coffee shops offer. Both Dad’s Place and Starbucks do it exceptionally well.

Consider the following notes from my journal:

I’m sitting in Starbucks in LR. Line was too long to stand in for the moment. Great atmosphere. Wonderful place for a quick business meeting. Today’s coffee shops have really become America’s kitchen/office. Here’s what I’m seeing…

• Students studying
• Couples visiting
• A trio of suited execs discussing numbers, hunched over steaming cups of goodness
• 2 older gentlemen laughing together at a table
• Man reading newspaper in an easy chair
• 2 other suited men engaged in heavy conversation (wonder which one is getting fired?)
• Man in suit with muffin and laptop

I began to reflect on how people will readily enter a Starbucks or a Dad’s Place but will avoid a church. I wondered how many regular church attenders have ever stepped foot inside a really good coffee shop and noticed the dynamics of difference between the people there and those in their pews every Sunday.

My thoughts were revived this afternoon upon doing some blog reading when I stumbled across this entry at mondaymorninginsight.com (I actually think they post daily). Go there now and reflect. By the way, it’s best read with a coconut steamer from Dad’s Place in hand.