I intern at a law firm where everyone eats in during lunchtime. They spend about ten minutes eating their delivered salads & sandwiches, in front of their computers, imprinting further their ass marks into their swivel chairs.
As for me, I always go out for lunch. Staying cooped up in an office all day is not something I want to do. Even though it’s possible, and I don’t necessarily mind it, just the thought of being cemented in front of my computer all day wills me to take some time off and get out.
My routine is simple: I pack my lunch in the morning. I drive to the nearby park, with tupperware and book in hand. I settle on a bench, scarf down my meal, and read for a good half an hour (currently, The Brothers Karamazov) – reading a page, looking up to watch a dog go by, reading a page, looking up to examine the trees, etc.
Sometimes, I’m able to observe the scene outside of myself, from an objective point of view, and I look kind of pathetic. A dude, in dress clothes, by himself, eating at a park, reading a book. If I ever saw that, I’d think “Laaaaaame.” But you know what? I like it. I like being out in fresh air, reading a good book and having a moment of peace. So I fight that urge to look at my situation from an objective perspective, lest the image of awkwardness keep me from doing what I enjoy. It doesn’t matter how it looks anyway – my head’s in my book, and that’s all I care to see.
August Macke – Man Reading in a Park
