The Usual

David Knopfler once said ~I feel like I'm stepping into a place of spiritual contemplation every time I step into the studio, it's always had a certain magic to me that have never worn off with familiarity.~ If you think about it, we all have a place that has an ere of familiarity and even though it may not have a certain magic to it you always experience a sense of ease whenever you step in. For its when you step into a particular place or particular places you're possibly greeted in sort of the same fashion as a fictional character from the tv show Cheers Norm Peterson with everyone inside calling out his name. Although he had his spot sitting at the stool alongside his best bud Cliff Clavin at the end of the bar, we sometimes don't have the luxury of sitting in the same place we do, however sit with the same familiar friends on hand that help make any area to sit in my/our spot.

Without a doubt, there is a place guys frequent every couple of weeks and it's a place of considerable comfort where one can leave his hair to a trusted professional. It's in a barbershop in which a guy can be rest assured the person he goes to knows how and what style haircut he wants without even saying a word. What it basically comes down to is how long he has been going to that particular barbershop and depending whether or not there is a strong friendship with the barber in question. You see, there is a strong, unexplainable bond between a guy and his barber so much so that a guy will actually get upset if he isn't there leading him to begrudgingly have his hair cut by someone else. As ridiculous as it may sound it's absolutely true and ladies ask any guy the name of his barber he personally goes to get his haircut.

Essentially, there are countless coffee drinkers out there and it would be safe to say there are a certain number of people who not only frequent a specific Starbucks in their area, but they also in all intents and purposes consider it a second home. We all know someone or are that someone who sets up shop, so to speak, as he/she makes himself/herself comfortable at a particular Starbucks in one's favorite table/area possibly bringing along books, classwork, and/or laptop in hand to keep one's self occupied while downing the coffee you tend to order all the time. Thinking about it, one can be considered a regular to the point where a friendship is forged with both the staff and manager, which gives any person a sense he/she isn't just seen as a simple customer but as a friend who they most definitely make one feel at home.

Let me ask you this question, have you ever been to a restaurant that when you immediately stepped in they knew who you were because you went there so many times before? We all have a place we like to eat at either with friends and/or family that has an atmosphere of familiarity where the service, as well as hospitality you receive are top notch as you partake in your favorite meal. As said before, you don't feel like you're just seen as a simple customer as you get to know certain people from the servers to the chefs who work there getting to know them not just on a professional basis, but on a personal basis as well. Whether its just shooting the breeze about what's going on news wise or talking about how each other's family is doing you enjoy being there to where you don't want to leave when the meal is done.

In retrospect, being in a place that you're so familiar with and can always go to is something quite enjoyable. It's in how you look at it really as you take the experience of what is seen as primarily mundane by others is seen by you along with friends as a situation where you spend time having fun with the people you love/care about. A bookstore, museum, golf course, church, etc. are just a few places that you can most definitely spend at times in quiet tranquility away from the outside world for a couple hours as you either get a haircut, drink a cup of coffee while busy at your laptop, or eat your favorite meal. How many of you have a place like this where the combination of people, atmosphere, and the food/drink is absolutely fantastic? In the end, it's the usual places you go to alone or with friends that seem to never lose its magic and you hope it never does.