Sitting in a coffee shop on an ordinary morning I sip a cup of tea and listen to snippets of conversation going on around me. This shop was a running store at one time, until the running clientele wanted a more upscale location from which to purchase their running shoes so it moved and this coffee shop was born. Amidst the aroma of fresh made bakery goods, coffee, the sound of the espresso machine, and the voices of staff and customers the day comes alive. As I eavesdrop on these bits of conversation a story emerges.
There is concern and excitement about the street construction going on the main street in front of the shop. The recent, and unexpected, death of the fire chief of an adjoining community is spoken of; a good man who gave much to his community and he will be missed. Two men are discussing what seems to be a growing divide between sexes and ethnic groups; the how and why of this.
The voices and conversation provide a canvas from which a story arises. All are involved in community thinking. Concern for their environment, for a fellow community member, and for a divide that seems to be growing rather than receding. This coffee shop stands in a community on the edge of change, in an older building recently renovated, and on a street that is being narrowed, rather than widened, to promote pedestrian and bicycle traffic. A place that invites creative thought and ideas, and where the customers pause to exchange thoughts as they sip their morning coffee or tea.
In contrast I find myself in a chain coffee shop, right off an interstate exit, on another morning listening to the hum of conversation around me. The sounds of voices blend together as customers line up to place orders with harried cashiers at the counter. The aroma of baked goods and hot specialty drinks seep into my awareness. Music is piped in and plays beneath the voice calling out each customer's order as it is ready. Conversations are masked beneath this white noise; even conversations with those at my table as we lean in close to catch each others words.
The conversations at this chain may reflect the same things that I heard at the little shop a few mornings earlier but the ambiance was not conducive to listening. A community grows in one place while the other reflects the insular attitude encountered in much of our culture.
From this observation a story arises and ravens give wing to my story. Do you take moments out of your day to let your imagination view the events around you? Events are occurring around you all the time; take a moment as you drink a cup of tea, or coffee, and capture these happenings by using your imagination and expound upon them through your writing.
Stories take wing and fly from the most ordinary to the most unusual events in life. When you, as the story teller, capture these events by your thoughts and words they breathe and become alive. They merely await the touch of your thought and your imagination.
Ravens give wings to your stories; listen to the voices of your ancestors telling you that the world is changing and your fears are but dry leaves beneath a tree awaiting the winds of change to rearrange them into a new day.
No comments:
Post a Comment