This is how my mornings go here in the urban metropolis of San Antonio. I get up on my bike and roll out before it’s too hot and hit the energy centers. It could be Katie’s Rose Hip Coffee down the street in the parking lot.
It could be Press, the only cafe in town with a vaulted ceiling made of glass.
Must have been a greenhouse or something. The super friendly baristas are always ready to listen to my jokes. God bless them.
Or I might stop at Merit, next to the bike shop.
That’s a bonus. I get to josh with the bike mechanics and the baristas. Jocelyn knows more about outer space than me and my friend Bill (not in the picture) combined.
Local at the Pearl has one of the best viewing areas to watch people with their dogs (not in the picture) and some of the grooviest baristas in the universe.
This barista, I believe, is from Alpha Centauri.
Getting closer to downtown, there’s Kapij, which is Mayan for ‘coffee’. They have the best bean and cheese tacos with avocado (not pictured) on planet Earth.
Mother and daughter (I totally thought they were sisters) were tending the bar this morning. I often stop here for the sheer serenity, being across the street from the Madison Square Park (not pictured).
And if I don’t stop at any of those energy centers I most likely will end up at Royal Blue Grocery on Houston.
The Royal Blue deserves special mention, being at the epicenter of the downtown urban . . . er epicenter. I mean it is so urban epicenter that you wouldn’t believe it. I meet amazing, crazy, affable, weird, amazing (did I already say that) zany, interesting people here. Plus they have snacks.
This little kid and his parents, for example. He’s watching me from the other table. He’s only 2 years old. I rang my bell for him when I rode up and we kinda connected. Two year olds will connect.
Now he’s smiling and staring at me, saying hi with his eyes as I try to get a picture off before his parents notice. Hope they don’t read my newsletter. Artistic licence.
I’ll often hang out here for awhile, listen to the groovy soundtrack on my phone, watch the street life on Houston Street and feel groovy, feel like a 2 year old. The world is here to explore; the only difference is I get to run around. This kid is confined to his chair.
Whoops missed that shot.
He doesn’t seem to mind though. He can connect to whatever he wants to with his eyes and his parents are right there beside him.
Whoops missed that shot.
I don’t have parents. I’m alone. But then I don’t have anybody to tell me I can’t run around.
Got that shot.
Running around is one of my favorite things to do. Exploring the world. Like a 2 year old.
Do you know about synaptic pruning? Yeah, it’s a thing. And it doesn’t happen in a apple orchard or a vineyard. It happens in your brain.
Around the age of 2 until sometime around adolescence your brain starts to get rid of all the unnecessary circuitry. Connections that have no viable use or any practical purpose are disconnected. There goes wonder, there goes magic, there goes childhood. Now we’re talking about real stuff. ‘Been there, done that’ enters our vocabulary. Rote learning takes over and we become civilized.
Well it had to happen or we’d all be a bunch of savages running around acting on our impulses. That would never do. We’re not hunters and gatherers anymore, surviving by our wits and our instincts, cueing off nature and the impulses of the natural world. We got jobs and things to do.
Have you ever wondered how many logos you encounter in a day living in the city? I have. Each one of those logos is designed to program your brain and direct your behavior in a specific way according to the agenda of some corporation or other.
Granted, corporations are people too, according to the Supreme Court, but what kind of people are they? That has never been determined. Some kind of ethereal people, like in a cartoon? Hard to say. I’ve never had a conversation with a corporation.
Turns out that socializing is one of the best ways for people to prevent or delay senility. Why is that? I’ll tell you why. It’s not the socialization, that can be downright disheartening, anti-social, dumb and stupid; it’s the conversation. Conversation keeps your brain limber. Unless you’re talking to a corporation. Then it can turn you into a cyborg. Or maybe a zombie. Could be a virtual facsimile. Or a horse’s butt. Probably won’t keep your brain alive though. Excuse the crude language.
I’m just running free in downtown San Antonio. Like a 2 year old.
Do you have a favorite spot? Please share it.
music :: 23:06-29:30 Cafe De Anatolia - Most Beautiful Songs
the Royal Blue Grocery on Houston Street and other energy centers