Every once in awhile, you snap out of your 21st century haze and look at what’s going around you. Outside most 2×3 inch screens lives a world full of beauty – be it blossoms on tree, a little ditty of a birdsong or witnessing a happy moment between two people. When I do find myself in a wakeful state, one thing I try to notice are “institutions.” No, not your lock me up and throw away the key, institutions. Instead, these institutions mark the edges your territory, your routine, your place.
One institution that stands out to me is this little diner on the corner of NW Everett and Broadway. I think it’s called “John’s Cafe.” I’ve never been inside, and probably won’t ever subject my intestines to its food (a placard in the window advertises “Salisbury Steak for $3.99 ” and I am just guessing that no steak worth eating costs that little), but it’s a place that I absolutely relish. I walk by there almost every day on my way to work. Its brightly lit interior is a beacon to me, especially in the dark of winter. For a long time there was this woman who sat at a window booth who would smile and wave to me, like we were some old friends. I don’t know why, but in my head I called her “my Indian.” Maybe she was just in my head because one day she wasn’t there and I haven’t seen her since.
That gets me to my point about institutions. Sometimes they just disappear. I can think of several institutions that have been lost since I’ve lived here in Portland. Some were businesses, others were buildings, many were probably good to lose (anyone remember the first version of The Civic apartments?). However, I urge you to put your cellphone down for a moment, pay attention to your surroundings and appreciate, even just for a moment, the places that make you.
What are some of your institutions?
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