Don’t knock it, we all do it…

Nothing nefarious here, just decided against a neighborhood, locally owned coffee shop for a change. There’s abundant tables, I can hear conversations other than English being enjoyed, and I really love their sous-vide egg bites.

So are you as tired as I am of everyone shoving “Buy local!” and “Support local business!” and my favorite “Don’t give to greedy global corporations!” I patron my amazing local coffee shops like 90% of the time. I buy from local pet food stores as much as possible with picky cats. I heard a small, independent (those words are just porn for the world’s do-gooders) dry goods grocer is opening up in town soon (bring your own bags and containers!), I’m all over it.

But really, seriously. Sometimes I just want to hide, be a ghost, invisible in my own city. As a bartender at a long time local restaurant for 10+ years now has its perks and it’s downfalls. I like making people happy. I do like interesting, thoughtful conversations with interesting, thoughtful people. I’ve met the best friends an adult could ask for. People are looking out for one another in a genuine, selfless way.

Sometimes, however, I just need to be left alone. My “me” time is more precious than gold (parents understand this more than most). Interrupting someone deep in thought, bent over a book, a laptop, a phone, to me is a huge privacy violation. Oh boy, I can hear it now “Well if you don’t want to be bothered, don’t go out” or “Gee SORRY I annoyed you”. When I used to go to the YMCA, I frequently saw a friend who gave me the briefest of nods as hello. Another would wait until I was done hating on the elliptical or treadmill before stopping by for a hello and a chat. It’s all about timing folks, and we’re all dialed in to our very short days and over-worked agendas. My point? Self-awareness folks, it’s never too late to develop this appreciated and well respected trait.

Has our self-awareness deteriorated as a result of the internet, smartphones, social media? I’m living the most oxymoronic life as I dive further into my online presence as a professional, and my increased need to get away from town (everyone and everything) and drive to the countryside to horses and hiking. I am certain everyone else is in this same boat.

So where do you go, what do you do to away from it all?

Thanks for listening!