Ever wish you could drop by a side cafe and enjoy a hot cup of tea with a group of kindred spirits? Imagine a feeling of ease, settling into the comfort of being in the presence of thoughtful listeners willing to share their careful insight into your unique experience. You'd sit with this group and lose track of time, left immobile by perpetual enlightenment and humbled by the immensity of the human experience that surrounds you. These deep thinkers have a certain weightiness to their character but a warm and earthy presence all the same. They'd delight in welcoming you to their society at the little Ersatz Tea Cafe.
When I was a middle school teacher in New York, I frequently visited a Barnes and Nobel Starbucks on 3rd Avenue and 51st Street in Manhattan. I spent countless hours in the cafe grading papers, making lesson plans, completing assignments for graduate school, and trying to sort through the confusing, moving parts of my life. I remember a group of very kind gentlemen who would gather there each day to fellowship and discuss current events. They looked to all be within the ages of 60-75 and had developed quite a ritual of meeting up with each other daily- sometimes gathered around the same exact table. Their conversations were never for their ears only- to the dismay of some of the patrons.One of them revealed to me that he had been visiting the cafe for 20 years! I was certain that store would last forever and to say I was rocked to my core when it closed down permanently in June 2016 is an understatement. So many of the experiences I felt or endured were also felt in that space. So in a sense, my creation here is almost like a tribute to those experiences- forever etched into my heart and to those gentleman and their little informal society.
Ersatz Tea Cafe is the inspiration for my online writing presence. It's a collection of essays and or musings I've written and continue to write. Thank you so much for visiting here and reading my words. I hope you enjoy.
11/22/16
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