I was that guy

coffee_cup.jpgI’ve seen him plenty of times before.

He’s usually there when I’m having coffee with my cycling mates on Saturday mornings. I’ve seen him as I’ve hurriedly walked past cafés on my way somewhere else. He’s been there when I’ve been enjoying a quiet cuppa with Pauline. He’s there in shopping centres, airports and cafés everywhere.

Sometimes he’s tall and middle aged. Other times he’s a little shorter and fairly young. He’s bald or with a full head of hair. He’s dozens of different people but I always want to be him.

Yesterday I was that guy.

I was the guy sitting on my own in the café, sipping a long black while reading a good book. There’s something very therapeutic about sitting in a busy café, letting the world buzz around nearby as you bury yourself in the pages.

I had to be at Mia Café in Inglewood yesterday for a Christmas afternoon tea. The rest of the family had to be across the other side of town so Pauline dropped me off an hour and a half early. That gave me the opportunity to partake in the magnificent pastime that I see so often yet so rarely enjoy.

Maybe I need to make that one of my New Year’s Resolutions for 2009. “Spend more time alone in cafés.” In 2009 I intend to be that guy a lot more often.



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About the author

Rodney Olsen

Rodney is a husband, father, cyclist, blogger and podcaster from Perth Western Australia.

He previously worked in radio for about 25 years but these days he spends his time at Compassion Australia, working towards releasing children from poverty in Jesus' name.

The views he expresses here are his own.

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