Coffee Shops

I spend a lot of time at the coffee shop down the street from my apartment. As I attempt focusing attention on my work, I often cannot help getting side tracked by the conversations that fill the air. Some of them are interesting, happy and sad. Some of them are just plan lame. Take for instance, the Eastern European men that swarm the middle of the coffee house. They spend 1/3 of their time yelling at each other, 1/3 laughing with each other, and the last 1/3 scoping out the shop for pretty women. As they attempt to get my attention, I attempt to look really busy, giving them no reason to wander over to my corner. Their gawking used to drive me crazy.... but today that changed.
Like any other day, they all stopped talking as I walked by their table, but today, instead of ignoring them, I gave them a big smile. Immediately, they all smiled back, and one man uttered a simple word. He said "beautiful". Was it me, my smile, or the act of acknowledgment that was beautiful? Whatever was meant does not really matter. What matters, is that the word made me feel good. Good because I decided to interpret it in a positive way. I could just see my best friend Cae shooting daggers out of her eyes at them. She tells me all the time that my kindness will get me in trouble. Sometimes she is absolutely right, but other times she is wrong. The truth is, these men are causing no harm. Though, they may be blatant with their gaze, they are far from the only one's who are searching for companions. Some people use a coffee shop as a meeting ground, others come in with company, but many come alone. I watch eyes search from behind computer screens and over the tops of books and newspapers. People searching for that special person, that might just be gazing back. When two people make that eye contact, the same scene seems to ensue; they smile at each other a couple of times, and one person usually gets the courage to walk by and ask what the other is reading or working on. They talk for awhile, and, if the chemistry is right, they exchange numbers or emails. If the chemistry is wrong, they go their separate ways. So many beings walk this earth, pursuing all types of lifestyles. No matter what kind of life one lives, the need for love and companionship is almost always desired. We want to share our story...we want to be in loving company. We want love. So maybe the next time you are somewhere, and you see another looking at you..smile back. You may not be looking for their love, but kind encouragement is the simplest gesture of human kindness.