Cuddles and I ran around downtown Tempe, Arizona, seemingly joined at the hip. He was my best friend and a connoisseur guide to this homeless world that I didn’t yet know anything about. We loved to spend every day “playing” once we figured out how to eat. What did play look like? Well, mostly talking about the world with strangers while drinking coffee. That was the best activity in the world for much of my life. I’m not sure what happened, but the coffee-shop culture I grew up in has died in most of the USA. The atmosphere was unique because the music was never too loud to talk, and you could talk about anything. Nothing was off the table. The only time I feel this sort of spirit now is at a private dinner party where by pure chance, you meet a new mind you can get excited with. I didn’t realize it until writing this, but I miss those coffee shops and the simplicity behind all of us gathering there.
WOW! Just WOW!!