Invisible

In one short week, I am now behind in school. Nonetheless, I took a few hours for a lunch. It wasn’t that the food was good. It was okay. An overpriced but tasty Panini at a local coffee shop.  I thought about my coffee shop. I missed my coffee shop.

I had a dream to have a coffee shop. A woman, with my name and my dream opened a coffee shop. I prayed for her success through my disappointment. The day came when due to her health she closed. We opened the second generation of Joyce’s Coffee Shop in the same place using her same sign. This is not a story for here though.

Today as I sat in a coffee shop eating a Panini, I missed my coffee shop. I missed friendly faces. I missed fixing food for people who knew my name, who cared that I existed. I missed hearing the latest news of the town. I missed feeding the Alderman, the county commissioner and the Director of schools. I make coffee for some of the top songwriters in the country. They come to entertain at my shop but they come to check their myspace, facebook, emails and such. Visit our old myspace to see pictures of it. See a video of a bluegrass music night.

Look at our breakfast items:

I knew their names. I knew their concerns. I knew their favorite coffee drink or smoothie and exactly how they liked it. Often I would see them in the parking lot and have it done by the time they got to the counter.

A hot seller was my private blend Chai:

There is something nice about knowing people and being known. That is one of my biggest struggles in South Dakota. It seems I am invisible here.

When I go to Wal-Mart, I don’t run into one friendly face. Even the faces of the strangers don’t smile, don’t say excuse me, I seem to be invisible.

I was not invisible today. I met a new friend. I think she will be a friend. She brightened my day. It was a gift. The virtual stranger who inspired this blog arranged our meeting.

As we began to share our stories and our lives, we began to know each other. It was a start. It gave me a measure of hope that life will eventually have some brightness.

I suppose one doesn’t need a lot of friends. I just don't want to be invisible. Today I wasn’t invisible.