Here is the point!!!!
I am discovering that deep down inside of all of us, there is a strong pull for us to be connected to one another. Each week, as I have set up my mobile office, I am treated to a variety of views. There are people just like me sipping on a cup of coffee, returning emails. There are girlfriends who find a cozy spot in a booth and catch up over a cup of coffee. There are business people that gather around the large table immediately in front of me and to my right (I couldn't resist the description). They all open their laptops, spread out papers all around the table, put on their serious face, and conduct business.
This morning I was treated to a mother having breakfast with her daughter (no description of their location forth coming).
And then there are the guys behind me. One of them is in his 40's, the other, his 60's. They chat up every girl that walks by. The conversation quickly descends to their inquisitions on whether she is married or not and how the man she is with is too poor or not good enough for her.
Regardless of the scenario and the conversation, I have discovered on a deeper level that we all want to connect to others. We all want someone else to listen to the story of us, and we want to hear the story of them. When we sit alone in the restaurant, our focus is not always on what we are doing - because we want to connect. So we eaves drop on the stories being told, and try to find our place in those stories. Or we secretly wish that we could tell our story so we find a place to interject in someone else's conversation.
How do I know this?
I watch the person that sits alone who's eyes are perpetually looking around the room.
Oh - and it is what I do when I'm not answering emails or balancing church budgets!
So find that someone this week and enjoy a cup of coffee or tea at Panera. Who knows, we may see each other there, and I will probably listen to your conversation if you are sitting close to my office!
