On a wet Saturday morning ...
.... the best place to be is Broadway Deli for one of their delicious vegan breakfasts!
Whilst waiting for my food to arrive I found it heartening to see several local people coming in for morning coffees and food, independently of each other, and all interacting with each other (no heads down on phones). They were reading the newspapers and discussing the articles (and yes, I was being nosey and eavesdropping but if you've ever been into the deli you will know that you can't help it as it's pretty cosy in there!) laughing and joking with each other.
A member of staff introduced a new local man to the existing locals who welcomed him to sit with them. In an age when most of us are too busy looking at our screens to notice the people around us it was a joy to see these interactions and real smiley faces not emoji ones!
It's something I notice in class too. Attending a class (rather than practicing online) has a social element to it. Although during the actual session we're not necessarily aware of interacting with each other (although in reality we are on a subtle, energetic level) there is that time at the beginning and end of class when we can make eye contact and speak to our neighbours as opposed to arriving on our mats and promptly staring at our phones until the session starts. With it being reported that more and more people are suffering from loneliness, which seems ironic when there are so many of us, these short interactions with people that are within spitting distance of us (please don't - but you know what I mean!!) can really change someone's mood and have an impact on their day.
Our phones serve a purpose and are tremendously useful in our daily lives but let's not forget to look up from time to time - you just might make someone's day.