START YOUR DAY THE RIGHT WAY

Coffee in public but still in solitary bliss

Recent updates to the Centers for Disease Control’s mask mandates allowing fully vaccinated people in most states to resume actives without wearing a mask or physically distancing, had us at the Inevitable Gentleman cheering. While the list of outings and events we’ve missed over the last year and-a-half is long, at the top of the list is hanging out at the local coffee shop.

There’s something to be said about enjoying a hot brew – in a real mug –, a croissant, or other pastry, and the morning paper in public. It’s the best of both worlds – a solitary act where you don’t need to engage while still being in public.

Perhaps it’s the formality of drinking out of a porcelain cup, but it makes that coffee taste better and even more enjoyable. And leave your tablet in the car. Call us traditionalists, but we prefer to get our news in the form of newsprint. Unruly pages, ink on our fingers and actual page turning are all part of the process.

You’ll probably get some stares and snickers and be labeled “boomer” by a nearby hipster, but no matter. You’re enjoying one of life’s simplest pleasures. Enjoy it, because while many offices remain remote, eventually, you’ll have to get back into the grind and the opportunity to take an extra 30 minutes for this ritual will evaporate or be relegated to weekends only.