New Year’s Day, 2017

The old man self-consciously shuffled his way into the crowded cafe. His pressed suit and hat a stark contrast to the California casual he was surrounded by. He settled in to a small table amidst the crowd, opened up his newspaper and started to carefully scan through

each page.

A cup of coffee and a croissant made it’s way to the table as he barely acknowledged the server who put it there. His calm exterior told me that he was no stranger to crowds. Who was he, I wondered? A wall street man? A film producer? An announcer, a salesman, a writer of salacious novels? Who knew.

Whatever he was, he had learned how to inhabit his space in the world. Unapologetic and Undisturbed. And contrary to my initial observation, not self-conscious in the least.