For all kinds of reasons I found myself sitting in one of our local neighborhood coffee shops this morning. I sat having my morning cup watching the literal stream of people coming in to what is only one of the many shops that now dot our little area of the Twin Cities. The thought crossed my mind:"How did we live without these gathering places?" Meetings were happening all around me. People read the morning paper, worked on their computers, couples had conversations and others simply sat staring into the middle distance waiting for the caffeine to kick in. It was a diverse group in age….some in white collar work clothes,others dressed for construction, others in uniforms, kids in school clothes, still others, perhaps retired or on their day off, the casual clothes of weekends. It was fascinating to watch the employees greet people who must be regulars, knowing their ‘usual’, and sending each customer off with a hearty "enjoy the rest of your day."

While other countries have certainly had the coffee house establishment as gathering place for a long time, it is a fairly new arrival in our country.Instead we have had the small town diner or the local pub that has provided the gathering spot for people, that place where news is shared, where politics are discussed, where no one minds if you linger over a cup of coffee for hours. In fact it is actually expected, lingering is required.

As humans we have a great need to gather. As social beings we need those places where we can look around and see a familiar face, pull up a chair and be with our fellow human beings. In times past the local town square served that purpose. As suburbs grew, the existence of a downtown began to disappear. So the evolution that answers our need to gather seems to be the coffee house.In this spirit I believe that what is happening at these establishments is so much more than selling coffee. The local coffee shop is providing the circle in which we can gather, claiming our social nature and building an energy that infuses the community.

So the next time you stop by to get your morning fix, take time to think that what you are doing is perhaps so much more than getting a cup of coffee. Look around at your fellow human beings, your fellow travelers on this swirling, big ball of water and earth. We are in this together and we need a place to gather to affirm that fact….spoken or unspoken, realized or unrealized, it is true.

"We were born to unite with our fellow men, and to join in community with the human race." Cicero