coffee shop doodle

What does an artist do when stranded in a coffee shop for hours?

It started with good intentions: an 8:30 AM car appointment, five minutes early, feeling organized and smug. By 9:00, I was shivering outside a locked auto shop, watching the rain turn my optimism into a puddle.

No ride. No backup plan. No heroic friend willing to leave their cozy home on a miserable Tuesday.

So I walked to Walmart. Bought toothpaste. Browsed. Bought Swiss chocolate because when life is bleak and boring, you buy Swiss chocolate. It's my rule.

Next, a soggy march to the Opus Art Supply Store. I chatted up the staff behing the desk, sampled the newest acrylic pens, and cracked open the chocolate. It almost felt like a party. I had enough for everyone. Then the phone rang. The shop said, "Good news! You have until 5:30 PM to reinvent boredom."

Five. More. Hours.

I set out again, stomping through puddles toward a grocery store 30 minutes away. I had no bag, no umbrella, and no desire to buy anything heavier than my will to survive. Luckily, Starbucks was next door.

I ordered a decaf-half-sweet-skim-extra-shot-mocha—because if you’re going to sit in a coffee shop and question your life choices, you should do it properly.

The napkin beside my cup was empty. The pen in my purse was not. I started doodling, carefully, because Starbucks napkins are about as sturdy as wet tissue paper. Slowly, the hours melted into tiny ink patterns. My mocha went cold, but my fingers kept moving.

When the phone finally rang again, it was 5 PM.
Time didn’t just pass—it evaporated.

Was it a waste? Maybe.
But I stayed warm, dry, fed, and—most importantly—creative.

Next time? Bring a sketchbook. And maybe... a getaway plan.