Sunday 11 December 2011

SHARE THE SPACE!


SHARE THE SPACE!

            The coffee shop that just opened in my neighbourhood is a booming place lately. It’s as if the chain is new and everyone wants to try it out, when in reality, there are two more of the same chain with in a 10 minute radius of this particular spot. Ok, I am not going to get bitter about this, so I am just going to get to the point. This new hot spot has room for approximately 28 people to sit comfortably, that is, if we SHARE THE SPACE. Right now I am sitting at a large table, about ten feet log, by four feet wide and I am SHARING THIS SPACE with two other people, who are also on their laptops. One of the chairs however, is currently occupied by someone’s coat and bag (not a person). This to me is a prime example of a person who is claiming too much space as his own, and needs to learn to SHARE THE SPACE a little better. Now, I am going to begin this entry by pointing out that I am one of those people who will scope out the seating situation from the parking lot, grab a seat before ordering my tea, and proceed to mark that spot with a coat and some books that claim my particular space at the table. Sad, yes, but definitely necessary! However, I do have to admit that there are courteous ways of doing this. For example: I know that there are only two outlets within reaching distance of our table and I plugged in right away, again to claim the space. I also realize that once I have enough power I will be willing to unplug and share the outlet in hopes that my fellow space sharers will do the same. Ok, so what’s the point of this entry? The point is, if we just realize that we only need a modest amount of space in a public place to work and learn that monopolizing an entire ten-by-four table is outrageous and greedy, the overall experience will be much more pleasant, less aggressive and potentially interactive, you might even make a new friend! Finally, coffee shops are public spaces, and my hope is that we all took something from our elementary school experiences and learn to SHARE THE SPACE!