Dear Coffee Shop Patrons,

You there, giggling loudly over board games on a Tuesday morning.  Do you see me?  Nursing three books, my computer, and a sugar-free latte?  Head tucked down, hair falling into my eyes, trying to think?  It's hard work, this thinking.  But you, you laugh about your game and your free schedule and your happy brain sighs in relief.  What then should I do?    

Love,

A

This guest letter brought to you by my dear friend A.

Dear Second Week of the Semester,

You are cold, cruel, and heartless.  Okay, I'll be reasonable: You are unseasonably warm, cruel, and heartless.  A sore back, three hundred pages of reading, and a very awkward coffee date remind me that Christmas break not only softened my middle but molded my brain into a ridgeless lump and did nothing for my social life.  Please be merciful to me.

Love,

A

This guest letter brought to you (a little belatedly -- sorry!) by my dear friend A.

Dear Stranger Who Smiled At Me In the Coffee Shop Today,

Don't deny it. You followed me in here. You spontaneously decided to come to the coffee shop after we passed each other on the sidewalk. I know you weren't originally intending to come here because you only spent 10 minutes in here . . . and didn't order coffee. You just sat down near me, read a page in your book, and then made light conversation when you stood to leave. It was all a pretense.

But don't worry. I'll be back again. And (I'm pretty sure) so will you.

Hugs & kisses,
B