I stopped at the coffee shop at the Central Library to have lunch between appointments today. I hadn’t been to the shop since they remodeled it about a year ago. I like to give the place some business since it is run as a project for a nonprofit organization.
I was surprised to find they either didn’t have sandwiches any more or they only had some in the refrigerator case. I wasn’t sure which because the person behind the counter didn’t make it too clear. I figure if the shop is a project one of the lessons to learn is clear communication leads to more sales than mumbling. I ended up having a cup of coffee and reading for a while. As I was sitting there I heard people ordering soup. I thought it odd the person didn’t mention the soup as an option.
After sitting a while I decided I’d have the soup. I ended up waiting to order because one of the regulars was chatting with the counter person. The soup was week and expensive.
The shop is more of a fixture than a business. The rhythm of the shop includes regulars who know the menu and occasional stragglers. It fulfilled its mission of being a nonprofit project. As a producer of good, fast, food it was marginal. next time I’ll stick to the coffee and find another place for lunch.
The bible reading today was the Gospel of John chapter 8 verses 1 through 11. It’s the story of the Pharisees bringing a woman who had been accused of committing adultery to Jesus. I find the passage very interesting because of its simplicity and complexity.
The accepted take-away from the reading is: let he who is without sin cast the first stone. A great message but it doesn’t do the reading justice if that is all that is seen in it. If we took the accepted message literally we’d never have a firm stance on anything. The inference to not get too self-righteous is clear and worth taking to heart. But what was Jesus writing on the ground? The reading provides no answer. A blog entry? Probably not.
My wife has studied the Bible and often gives me the contextual background of Bible passages. Sometimes she is very helpful. Sometimes I just like to sit with the reading and be satisfied with the ambiguity of the message.
It is the start of a new day at the start of a new week. There is a fresh snow to make everything appear bright and clean.
As I look out on the freshness of it all the opportunities are overwhelming. Of all the things I could do with all of this freshness… Where should I start? How do I prioritize? My mind races from the moment to the day to the week and beyond. Read a book? Shovel the snow? Plan my week?
As I fixate on the options and possibilities I realize I want to pace myself and be thoughtful in my actions: some good music, a cup of coffee, a conversation with my daughter. Al good and important things. Am I pacing myself or just getting distracted?
A bit less analysis and a bit more savoring the time I have will put things into perspective.
I engage groups and individuals to recognize and leverage their untapped potential
Dan Lococo 