I've been working away from home this week. It's PSSA season and that means going to a site and proctoring exams all day. Although I'm really enjoying it, it's exhausting (the 2 hour earlier wake ups each morning aren't helping either.) Today's day ended and I knew if I went home I would fall asleep until some time this evening, wake up, and then be awake for most of the night.
NOT GOOD!
Instead I went to Burlap and Bean.
B&B is my Central Perk. No matter what, some of my friends are always there (mainly because a lot of my friends are employees.) These familiar faces brighten my day. Today was no exception. I was greeted by one of my favorite people with a great big smile and our usual extremely awkward handshake. A nice conversation was had. I bought my usual, a Marble Mocha (small, regular milk, decaf, with whipped cream and chocolate drizzle!)
Then I sat.
B&B is one of the few places where I just sit. At home sitting usually involves watching TV while surfing the Internet and playing on my phone at the same time while thinking about work that I could and probably should be doing. At home I am distracted by so many things. B&B is my escape from my 'To Do:' list and my place to relax. There is freedom there from all the things I should do at home, freedom from being anywhere, freedom from the pressure to act a certain way, freedom to just simply be. And that is what I did today.
Next to me in one of the comfy chairs was a woman on her lap top. She was simply sitting surfing the web while drinking her coffee. About 30 minutes after I sat down I heard a noise and turned to realize that the entire time a baby (maybe 5 months old) was sitting in her lap. He was wide awake, looking around and taking in the sights. I was in awe of this. This woman who was relaxing, enjoying her afternoon while still spending quality time with her baby looking truly peaceful. I'm not sure if you know many moms but peacefull is a word I rarely hear my mom friends use to describe their afternoons. This peace overwhelmed me. I felt as though this woman was experiencing one of the greatest secrets of life that is missed by so many. I was in awe of this. I consciously thought 'If I ever have children I want to do that.' I want to make a point to have my relaxing, freedom filled, afternoons no matter what phase of life I'm in. I also could not stop thinking about the valuable lesson this child could learn from this over the years. That taking time to stop, to sit, and simply be is valuable and prioritized.
Across the shop were 2 friends sitting at a table. Enjoying each others company while drawing pictures and then talking about the pictures they each drew. Every 20 minutes or so they would stop and discuss, then start other drawings all while listening to an iPod each with one ear bud from the set in. :) This made my heart melt. I'm not sure if it was the whole 'sharing ear buds' thing (which although it contained nothing romantic about it had a very 'Lady and the Tramp eating spaghetti' feel to it) or just that they were really enjoying their time.
Later a friend arrived who looked as though he was having a rough day. We chatted briefly. In hindsight I probably should have given him a hug (he looked as though he could have used one) but I'm not good with hugging and it never occurs to me someone might need that. We had a short conversation but just those few minutes gave me countless hours of prayers that I can now pray for him and on his behalf. I wonder if I was in another situation would I have noticed him and the heaviness on him. Would I have been too distracted by my own stuff to notice someone hurting?
I stayed till almost closing time. As I drove home I couldn't help but think about how full I felt (and not just from my mocha: small, marble, regular milk, decaf, with whipped cream and chocolate drizzle!) I felt full of life. Even in my fatigue I was blessed by the things that I took in and experienced just by sitting and being for an hour and a half this afternoon. I love times like these. Sometimes it's in the most minimal things that you feel the biggest impact.
This afternoon I went to one of my favorite places, I ordered my usual, sat down, and simply was.
