lunch at the Hostel

just a perfect moment in time

A beautiful early summer afternoon I stopped at the Hostel Hotel restaurant in North West Portland for a bite to eat

 

This Hostel is nicer than most �" or in a nice hip urban location, tree lined streets , a park across the block , restaurants , coffee shops and brew pubs all within easy walking distance

 

I ordered a salmon burger and frys and the young lady at the counter said they were shorthanded and it would be around 20 minutes for the food to cook �" so I ordered a hazy IPA and decided to sit a spell and read

 

Checked out the surroundings �" there was a inside eating area,  a common area for Hostel quests and then a outside seating area �" a big but cozy space  between two wooden 3 story buildings.  Various tables and chairs had been placed around and I found the right spot for me.  Just at the threshold of inside and outside �" under what was a roll up door that was open

 

The weather was perfect either in the sun or not and  I  chose a place with no umbrella but in the shade.  I sat , took a sip of my beer  and before opening my book I   was struck by the perfectness of it all. The space was an oasis of peace, the weather was perfect, people were eating, talking or working on there computers and it seemed that everyone in one way or another  felt the serenity of the afternoon

 

The young couple a few feet away from me were playing some type of table top game that had little pieces they moved around but that was about all I could tell.

 

It was obvious that they had no where else they needed to be or more importantly nowhere else either of them wanted to be..

 

I wondered how many times in my life I have been with someone like that �" someone and someplace where it made no difference where we were or what we were doing as we were both fully content right where we were.

 

They were in love- not a new in fatuous love but  not a long-term relationship either. A  comfort that went along with the enjoyment of being together