Coffee shops.

I love coffee shops. Dunkin. Starbucks. Caribou. But I really love the independent coffee shops. I will go out of my way to visit some of them.

All of them are victims of Covid-19. Let’s face it. Yes. Life is precious and at the time of this post over 500k people here in the U.S. have lost their lives to this insidious virus. Millions have lost their lives around the world.

Along with the loss of life the world has lost businesses. Ok, a business is not a life, but millions of peoples lives depend on these businesses.

I had the luxury of doing something I have not done very often over the past year. Go out to enjoy some coffee.

I was taking advantage of a unusually warm day with a temporature in the mid-70’s. I walked a few miles for relaxation and exercise, and then took a short drive to a local Starbucks. Sad.

All of the customers were in the drive-thru. There were a couple of tables outside that were filled. Inside was a ghost town. All of the seating was taped off and had signs to do not sit.

No people watching. No one sitting with their computers using the wifi. Why else would I waste $5 dollars on what is, quite frankly, a mediocre cup of hastily made coffee with overpriced trimmings?

And this was Starbucks. A large chain that is surviving better than most, but still feeling the effects of this thing that has affected the whole world. I feel for all of the independent coffee shops that have shuttered. Some that cannot afford to pay employees. Others that do not have the space or money to comply with Covid restrictions that make it impossible to make a dollar and still keep the lights on. No students nursing a small latte while cramming for exams. No people watching. No fun.

Coffee houses. A place that used to be a place of comfort now seems like a place where I was very uncomfortable. A place that made me contemplate why was I wasting that $5 and quietly hoped for something that everyone has been saying this past year. I wished for a feeling of normalcy.