‘Crossing border control in 2 minutes!’

Stephen and I laugh out loud at Lee’s incoming message! It’s our group’s fun reference to the river divide between Brisbane’s North and South sides. It means he and Pete are about to cross William Jolly Bridge on their way to park at our place, so we can all head over to this week’s coffee meetup at the ‘Kombi’ in South Bank.

Within seconds, our group chat erupts with humorous ‘GIFs’ of suspect cars being stopped at foreign borders. The videos all sent by our good friend Steve, who’s joining us again today, and is a passenger in the car.

Lee’s message also means they’re about to arrive, and we laugh even louder when he sends a final ‘GIF’ of someone blow drying their hair without a care in the world! A subtle prompt, directed at me, to get my skates on!

But this week we’re ready! Or should I say… I’m on time!

But the peacefulness is short lived as our coffee morning suddenly erupts in to a bubble of fun and laughter, as Pete takes Snapchat photos of our group using youthful filters on his iPhone.

The results are hilarious and give some clue to what we’d look like with Botox injections. But this fussy group can’t all agree on any one pic to save, so we enlist the help of a passer-by to take the group snap.

Pete hands over his iPhone and we shuffle together in response to the lady’s directions; “Come in a little closer! That’s good! Yes… that’s right! Ready! Say Cheese!” And finally click… she takes the photo!

But as she looks at the result, she exclaims in a shocked voice; “Oh my… you all look so much younger!” … Her genuine surprise makes this group of middle-aged guys feel a tad weathered and old, even though the remark was said innocently.

This week’s meetup was a memorable occasion with; great coffee, good conversation and hysterical iPhone antics. 

We head back home and give the guys an equally energetic goodbye wave, as they return to their side of the border. 

And as I think about today’s outing, it makes me reflect on filters, and how we all use them to determine our view of the world and the people in it. Sometimes, what we see isn’t always reality and it can lead us to make assumptions and judgements. But we all have choice, and like our mobile phones, we can change our view of anything, by simply stepping back, applying a softer filter, and seeing things from a different perspective.

I love sharing our coffee escapades with you, so please help me share the joy of coffee and friendships. Like, follow and share the ‘Out at Coffee’ Facebook page. And if you have suggestions for a great coffee venue in or around Brisbane, please drop us a line via the Contact page, we’d love to add it to our caffeine calendar.

Allan