May 11th, 2024.
I’m back at Cafe Ango, looking for a place to recharge. Soon, I start looking for items to check off, of any list. I have to stop myself, realizing something: To stay still is to do something. Not an item to check off, but to experience. The mind can’t check it off, but the spirit is well aware, it’s doing something. Replenishing. Settling. To take the body to inspiring places, and then let it sit. Let it observe. To turn off the checklist part of then brain.
The coffee at Ango is great, but the space is the star. The owner is at the bar. We chat about decoration and music. He started the café 9 years ago, when the previous owners, also Japanese, decided to go back to Japan. From them, the wooden floors still remain. They are beautiful, and they are well cared for. No shoes inside the café, and even the chairs have cloth socks to protect the floor. Nine years ago, these same chairs, made of vines and natural fibers, were cheaper to find. The bricks used for the bar, also budget friendly at the time. I see this space, and I see the care and the love the owners have put into it.
We talked about modern cafés decoration and design. Nine years ago, information about design and decoration wasn’t as widespread as today, with tools like Instagram or Pinterest. This accessibility, however, means that many cafés now use similar inspiration in their design, layout, and decoration. A sort of uniformity in design, despite geographical location. In Vietnam, in the Philippines, in Japan, It’s easy to find cafés using the same design inspiration. While beautiful looking, this makes for rather soul-less spaces. No personality to display, just color pallets and references taken from other places.
During this trip, I’ve started being more self-aware while meeting new people. How am I feeling interacting with this person? Not judging the emotions. Are our energies matching right now? This “energy” word, thrown around casually in conversation, but, can we define it? It’s like playing music together. You can play a note, the other person might follow it, or play something completely different. In the end, hopefully, you both try to make good music, but it might not work.
It’s a relief to let go of the desire to have a “good” conversation with someone, and instead, put out your honest energy. If you play your notes and the other person match them, great. If not, you can play another note, see how that goes. Finding a style or tempo that works for both.
In the end, it’s ok to ask yourself, did I enjoy talking with this person? Do I feel good talking with them, do our energies match? Sometimes they will not, and you have to accept that. To force an interaction which is not making you feel good is to undermine yourself. If we choose to think there’s always a reason why we meet every single person, you can always find a lesson in them to be thankful.
