Coffee casts a long shadow in my life.
Although, it is less about the coffee than it used to be.
I enjoy the many different flavors a skilled roaster and brewer can produce in a cup of coffee, but the best part of the coffee ritual for me has become the community of people enjoying their coffee together in a good coffee shop.
I’ve got a good coffee shop, one where the other guests are often friendly, thoughtful people; Santa Cruz invites a certain type of creative and emotional generosity of expression (even if it is considerably sanded down from what it used to be, according to the long-timers), and it’s pretty easy to get into an interesting conversation with someone at my neighborhood cafe. The crew is an essential component in that experience too, as they set the tone with warmth, kindness and curiosity. All of it adds up to a Third Place.
A good Third Place gives you the freedom to be yourself. It lets you try out parts of your mind and spirit that you might not feel safe to elsewhere. It lets you leave a mark, or just bask in the comforting acceptance of others. A good Third Place is harder to find than it should be, and too many of us don’t actually have one in our lives. I do, and when I cannot be there I feel the effects, quickly. A good Third Place is good for your spirit, both for what it gives you and what it allows you to give others.
And that is why coffee is important in my life today.
Brandon Woosley 