I look for places to linger. Places created for community with its own sense of excitement and rest.

For me these are usually coffee shops. Some people see coffee as the reason why they function. I reject that notion entirely for reasons needing a longer explanation.

Instead I drink a vanilla latte 2-3 times a week for the experience. There's something about being in a comforting space, sipping on bitterness of the coffee mixed with the creamy, sweetness of the milk and vanilla that adds to the enjoyment of life.

I savor the warmth as I type away on the laptop trying to figure out the right direction for one of C3D's clients or writing for My Everyday Epic. This is a happy place for me, right up there with my favorite blanket and a good movie or book.

I discovered this simple pleasure when I was working remotely in California. When I moved back to Omaha, I had to discover my places. Places I wanted to linger, where I felt like I belonged. Even though I lived in Omaha my whole life moving back from LA after a year and a half was harder than I care to admit.

As I sit on a bench in Archetype this morning, I'm marveling at the place they've created. I arrived at 8am this morning and the only place for me to sit was on this bench. They're busy. They're always busy and while this can be frustrating for someone who likes to settle in, I can't help but admire what they've created.

The amount of different people and ages that come and go from this place is amazing. The baristas know faces and the orders. They're good at it. Corporate types walk in in their suits for off site meetings. Student types have their nose in textbooks. Creative types are creating away with their caffeinated drug of choice nearby. Pet type people bring in their 4 legged friends and the baristas stop to acknowledge with a pat and a little attention. Parent types feel free to let their toddlers toddle around towards the front, and the taller customers smile down at the little people and don't mind what could be an annoyance in other places. The owners have curated a  sense of family in this place. 

And all of this is happening all the time. A second shop is opening in the near future and I hope this same sense of place is multiplied in their new location. We need more sense of family and community in our digital dependent world. 

I'd argue that our obsession with coffee isn't only an obsession with the drink but what seems to develop around the drink.

Cheers to Archetype for being something needed in this world.