In the time before the internet…

In the time before, there was no internet; no cell phones, no immediacy to anything. Time was spent together, in-person; you were present or you weren’t. No facetime calls, no snapchat or zoom, no text to see what’s up. All we had was that moment.

That coffee shop. The hours spent smoking shitty Marlboros and getting refill after refill of Farmers Bros coffee. The things they dreamed about were filled with magic and promise, making something out of nothing, finding something new, being something new.

Each night a new journey, a new fantasy of the future, or their lives. The caffeine-fueled tirades of which Stevie Nicks’ song was superior, or whether the Tower or the Ten of Swords was the worst tarot card, all ending in laughs and a firmer bond.

It wasn’t paradise or fantastic, it was filled with insomnia and words that evaporated into nothingness once the sun rose and they found themselves lying down to reset for another day. They preferred the tan from fluorescent lights and blushes from steaming fries, demands for sides of ranch, and choosing a diner based on which had the best. The rotation of who would pick where they’d go was the ruler of the night.

Despite having less, less knowledge, less technology, less money, they were happier and more satisfied with their life. Perhaps not knowing the shoulds and shouldn’ts are the key to just being.