The Morning Routine

1707 Words4 Pages

A Morning Routine

In countless homes and numerous cultures, drinking morning coffee is a staple routine. One can drink it alone at home, in a car en route to work or school, or stop at a coffee shop or café and enjoy it among other people. In developing my routine this year, I chose the latter practice. Every morning I arrive at a local coffee shop, smell the same aromas, order the same drink, sit in the same chair, and observe the same people who continue their morning customs as well. For several months now, my mornings have consisted of this, and every morning, I would mainly observe one person; an old man who has become somewhat of a fixture at this coffee shop and who has not changed his routine as far as I have witnessed. He is already there when I arrive every morning, sitting alone at the small table for two in the corner by the window, drinking his small cup of black coffee, and reading the newspaper. He is on a first-name basis with the workers and owner, and often chats with some of the other regulars. After months of polite smiles, quiet “good mornings”, and creating a background of this old man in my own mind, I finally get the courage to approach him. I start the conversation with him about our similar morning routine, and it gradually develops into a soft and informal interview.

It almost feels unusual because I have gotten so used to seeing an empty chair in front of this man, and now I am occupying it. He’s wearing beige corduroy pants, brown loafers, a blue sweater, and small, thin-framed reading glasses. He has thin gray hair, blue eyes that seem to have turned grayer with age, a soft, polite smile, and a very soothing voice with a small hint of a southern accent. In such a comfortable, relaxed setting, he seems to be in his natural environment.

I was afraid that he wouldn’t welcome this change in his routine that I was bringing, but he was extremely warm and polite; he had the amiable personality that makes anyone feel as though they could easily open up to him. As we start conversing, it is almost as if he wanted someone to come and talk with him.

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