Coffee shops and Daydreams

Dreams while you sleep are mysterious, the lack of control we have over our subconscious thoughts is alluring. But what about day dreams? These are pretty interesting too… In many ways during our daydreams we foresee our lives, whether in a fantastical or realistic sense, even throughout the day our absent minded thoughts and secret wishes stringing us along from A to B.

A Question for the Daydream: What would you today if you woke up and had five thousand dollars to spend and did not have to attend to any of your regular responsibilities of today?


The lady, Liz, working behind the counter is entirely stumped when I present her with this question. She says that one time in her life she had a million answers for this, all planned out and ready to go as if this may be a realistic situation one day. But now she does not have time to be frivolous, she tells me, and if she were to do something too out of the ordinary today with this money and this free twenty four hours, she would probably wake up tomorrow feeling hung-over. As she places the backside of her hand to her forehead and says, “it’d be like, oh my, Liz, what have you done!??” She resolves that she would sign up for these two classes she has been saving up for, as they are pre-requisites to apply for school, and then she would continue walking and head to work. She laughs at the thought and momentarily hesitates, thinking on the idea that she would choose to work even if give the option not was entirely permissible. “Yes, yes, I would still go to work, because I know who it would be on if I didn’t show up, and I wouldn’t want to do that to them… and besides, I like it here.” Then we contemplate if she should take the more typical route and just show up at the airport and pick the first place that sounds intriguing. But then, who wants to go to an exotic island just for a day? Too much travel time, and we wouldn’t want to go alone. Her happiness is here, where she works, spends her days, and where her friends are near. Liz, I think is doing all right; much better than most people. Why is it that when given such a proposition do many people immediately think to run? I’d rather be all right where I’m standing.

Everyday sitting outside of the coffee shop where Liz works is a little chalk easel that reads, ‘organic oatmeal cookies’ or ‘organic direct trade coffee.’ Written on the window is ‘how to build an green bakery…’ and a sign that offers a fifteen percent discount to any customer who arrives by wheels. Little coffee shop/bakeries with this grass roots approach to business are popping up all over the place. Fair trade products imply that that the coffee is sold for a reasonable price, in order to be Fair Trade certified , the coffee is bought for no less that 1.26 a pound, and the proceeds go straight to the farm, not to the middle man. The coffee shop I was in, sells Direct Trade coffee, which minimum-buying rate is 1.60 per pound. The first link there has some pretty interesting comments about Starbucks and coffee as well; which I find to be a overheard of subject, but actually knowing some facts never hurts. This article discusses some of the issues involving the coffee industry. The most important part of the coffee industry for me, that I feel like often get overlooked, is that the conditions of coffee farms for the workers. They are referred to as, coffee sweatshops. As something that many of us drink daily, and just by living in the country who is it’s largest consumer, it is always beneficial to know what your sipping on entails.