I spend a lot of time working in coffee shops. I write, I read and I draw in them. I have meetings in them, and although it’s a little tricky, I even paint in them on occasion. I frequent them so often that my family refers to my current favorite as my office.  It may seem like more trouble than it is worth: lugging everything around, having to be careful about leaving a laptop or phone unattended. I’m not even a coffee drinker. But I go anyway.

As someone who works primarily from home, these shops fulfill a useful purpose for me.  They force me out of the comforts of my house and my head, and into the world at large. This is important because my definition of a good life is one that is interesting, and nothing interests me more than other humans and how we all interact on this earth together.  I can read about it, watch the news, and scour the Internet, but there is something very special about existing in real time, with real people, who are going about the messy and fascinating business of life.