
Cakefriends bar in Zurich has closed. Only temporarily, but it has closed. Back in March. It was like a safety net in town, even though I did not go often. But it’s relatively close to my doctor’s, so I would always go for cappuccino after a visit, to feel relieved and have some slack before going to work.
Then, I read on and see that the extra super famous Ron Orp's newsletter (which saved me when I did not know German and I was new in town!) is still looking for crowdfunding in order to survive in its version in English. Everything is changing, and not only in Zurich and in my head.
People are talking how everything is changing worldwide. The future of work, of digitalization, of processes, of life simply. It is scary, and everybody tries to cope the best they can, partnering up to come up with great ideas that can expand people’s minds and at the same time finding joint solutions not to get completely overwhelmed by what’s coming. I’m glad things are changing, especially in companies, and people are getting more and more aware about how important self-care is in the world of automation, stress, rush and depersonalization, and everyone talks about it.
Overwhelmed by the fact that Cakefriends, the only cappuccino place that made me think I’m back in Italy is closed, I go across the street and find myself at Odeon bar. This bar calms me down. Only, I did not know that before. I discover something important: even if it is in a tourist/central location, it feels like home today, November 28th.
People from the neighborhood are having coffee, and some of them are called by their names by the waiter. The older people are the most elegant. This reminds me of my grandpa. He used to be elegant even for buying bread across the street. He would go to these Sicilian bars where you could still smoke inside, with low jazzy music and where people would have espresso standing.
So, I reach a conclusion: I love embracing the new and the old. What’s to come is exciting, what has been feels hard to let go, but it will come back in new forms, and I still after 10 years here I hope to find a bar where the waiters call me by my name, where virtual social groups become real, where you have intimate conversations face to face.

When my clients do a coaching path towards becoming more assertive, there is always a roadblock. The new person who is coming out of this process, and the old person who still feels comfortable to herself/himself and others. We have to embrace both, and educate the people around us about our new values and new NO’s and say YES’s probably to things which are absolutely out of the comfort zone but now seem reachable.
Comments