A young lady came in while I was there - she had short light brown hair and was probably 5'6". As she entered she set her jacket down by the door before ordering her coffee. And then she proceeded to sit alone for the next hour or so.
A while later I looked and someone had joined her table. He had a full beard and was nearly 6'0" tall. I'm assuming he must have been cold because he kept his ski hat on the entire time (fashion, I know, but I still don't understand it).
As I observed these two sitting across from each other I couldn't help but notice something. His phone was always out. It was an iPhone 4 or 4s and seemed far more captivating to him than the lady sitting across the table from him. . At one point they did share a brief kiss and after a half hour or so I did notice that his phone had found a place on the table with its screen darkened.
Now I know that every couple is different. And for all I know maybe he showed up thirty minutes early or he had an emergency that needed to be dealt with immediately. So please don't read this as judging this couple. Simple observations are just the facts and you may choose to be offended by reality if you so desire.
Even so, I still find myself saddened that staring at a tiny screen instead of interacting with the human being you're face to face with is accepted behavior. Since when have our lives become so busy that we can't set aside the demands on our time and just BE where we are?
So next time you're looking for a coffee fix, I dare you to put your phone away. Read a book instead, people watch. Or, better yet, invite someone else along and interact with them face to face. Find out about who they are, what they're going through, where they came from.
Trust me, your phone will be waiting for you when the coffee is gone. And if it is an emergency, your phone will start to ring.