Why go to the cafe? And pay $5 for a latte, and run the risk of maybe not being able to find a seat at a table. Or parking, even. When you can just make coffee at home? It’s cheaper. It’s easier. It just sounds like a better decision, doesn’t it?

Well, not quite.

I like the act of going to the cafe. I like hopping into my car. Walking into the cafe. Staring at the menu forever because analysis paralysis. Ordering. And almost forgetting to tell them to switch out to oat milk. Because I’m lactose intolerant. And then of course. Standing to the side, and waiting for them to grind up the beans, pour that shot of espresso and hand me that beautiful cup of caffeine that I so desperately actually do not need, but drink anyway because I just enjoy the process of going to the cafe.

Wait, why do I go to the cafe?

I go to the cafe because I enjoy having it as a break in the day. I enjoy having a reason to step away from my work. To give myself a break. I particularly enjoy the limbo moment between ordering the coffee and waiting for the coffee. You know, that moment where you don’t really know what to do because you can start reading or writing or whatever but you don’t want to because you know they’re about to call your name soon. So you just kind of stare blankly at a wall, or at the dog panting by your feet. 

How nice. 

I mean, when else do we have permission to do that?

When else do we have a chance to just look out the window, and let our minds wander? And yet at the same time, to rejoice because caffeine is on the way!

That same beautiful limbo moment also carries itself over to when I sit down and enjoy the coffee. A lot of times I read, write, or draw. But often I also just do nothing but drink the coffee, as I continue, of course, to let my mind wander. 

The change of pace motivates a change of thinking. The change of sights, sounds, and smells inspires different physiological reactions that then enable me to look at life with a different lens as well. From the woosh of the espresso machine to the overheard conversations, even the act of reaching out your hand and grabbing the cup of Joe. You’re in this in-between space where you’re not at home, and you’re not at work. So new thoughts and ideas can come to mind that otherwise would not have been possible if you were anywhere else. 

Or, I guess, you could just be tired and need a place to sit down and rest your legs after working all day. 

But still!

All the above is why I love going to the cafe. Why I don’t just make coffee at home. Why I don’t mind the risk of not being able to find parking (which has happened quite often) and not being able to find a seat (which has also happened quite often). It’s still worth it. Because you might bump into a friend. You might make a new friend. You might come up with a new business idea. You might learn something new about yourself. Or if none of that happens, you at least get to have a break in the day, enjoy a cup of coffee, and remind yourself of what it means to take time for yourself. Still a win-win, no matter what happens.

Cafes are awesome. 

by Jason Lam