The other side of the counter

I've been fluctuating in and out of singlehood for the past few months, but I've fallen firmly into that category again. After church on Sunday, I went to a Brazilian cafe in Ames to have a little breakfast. I sat at the bar by myself and had a snack, and a chat with an unusually friendly waitress. Before I knew it, I was telling her all about my plans for the day.

I used to think that people would think I was kind of sad or pathetic for eating alone in public, but having worked at the coffee shop for a few months, I've realized that it's actually quite common. As a barista, I actually like it when people sit alone at the bar and strike up a conversation with me, it makes the shift go faster, and makes me feel like more of a human being than a coffee serving machine. It's a different kind of conversation than the small talk you have with your fast food server, with whom you have only a few moments to make some weather-related commentary. The owner of the coffee shop not only knows her patrons' names and drink preferences, she also knows all about their lives. It's almost too much like family at times, however - a fellow barista spent some time in the hospital, and upon his return, I can't tell you how many regulars greeted him with, "So how are the kidney stones?"