Fast forward

It's been nearly three years. I'd forgotten about this blog, actually. But now I am going to try to post a little bit now and then.
Everyone has gone to bed and I should, too. I'm pretty tired, actually, and of course I have to get up in the morning and go to work, as always.
So this will be short and sweet, but there will be more, I promise.
There's a promise of spring in the air now. Even when it's chilly, it's not the icy chill of winter, more the brisk snap with a hint of warmth. I didn't have to wear a coat to work today, that was a real novelty. I kept thinking I'd forgotten something all day. Oh, yeah, my coat. No, it's at home. I hoped all day it wouldn't rain, even though it did look threatening for awhile.
I also enjoyed lunch with a friend, and my son happened to wander in to the same place. Great minds and all that. Every time I go into Viva Espresso, I see someone I know. Or they see me, which is embarrassing if I don't see them. It's a great place, though, seriously. Good food, great environment and lots of familiar faces.
But this isn't an ad for Viva. It's more an ad for the entrepreneur, the locally owned gathering spot, which Viva is. Not a chain like Starbucks or Panera. Not that there's anything wrong with those places. But Viva is so comfortable and welcoming. So is Rise Up Coffee, where they know you by name and always have time to chat with customers.
These are important to a sense of community, belonging. Is that something that's missing in America today, to a disturbingly large degree?