Apr

Random Acts of Kindness Flow with “Suspended” Coffee

by Meredith Mullins on April 25, 2013

man drinking large coffee after receiving a random act of kindness of a suspended coffee

Coffee warms the heart and spirit
© Fuse Collection

Starting the Day Off Right

“I’ll have a decaf espresso, a caffe latte, a double decaf cappuccino, and a caffe sospeso.”

This could be a scene from LA Story, a barista’s nightmare, or a reminder of how coffee drinking has taken us into a labyrinthe of choices.

It could be all those things . . . but in this instance it’s an order at a coffee shop, sprinkled with a random act of kindness.

Caffe Sospeso: “Suspended Coffee”

The hidden gift in this order is caffe sospeso, an Italian tradition born in Naples that is taking hold around the world.

Caffe sospeso is not an extravagant new coffee concoction. It means, in literal translation, “suspended coffee.”

In practice, this custom is a heartwarming “pay it forward” story. When people buy a coffee, they pay for an extra coffee (or two).

This suspended coffee “offer” then waits for someone in need, someone who asks if there are any suspended coffees available because he or she can’t afford to buy one.

man drinking european coffee after receiving a random act of kindness of a caffe sospeso

Good to the last drop
© iStockphoto

Cafés use a coupon system, bottle caps, or tokens to keep track of the available suspended coffees. They post a suspended coffee sign in the window to let those in need know a hot coffee might be available through a stranger’s generosity.

A Cup of Coffee for All Humanity

The suspended coffee idea is a reminder that we can help people who are less fortunate in many ways—modest or mighty. An important Oh, I see moment.

The original Neapolitan proverb said it best—”This is a way to offer a cup of coffee to all humanity.”

Man in furry hood drinks coffee after receiving a random act of kindness of suspended coffee.

Hot coffee makes winter life in the street a little warmer.
© iStockphoto

This coffee “movement” has now taken root from the UK to Bulgaria to Australia to the U.S. Word is spreading that this tradition is a simple way to offer kindness to strangers.

The “Suspended Coffee Supporter Facebook page has more than 76,000 fans and keeps people updated on cafés that are joining the caffe sospeso community (or, if you’re in Taiwan, the “suspended noodles” community).

Pay It Forward

The beauty of this kind of movement is that it inspires other acts of kindness. Grocery stores and restaurants are also following this path. Spontaneous “pay it forward” moments are becoming legendary in many countries.

People pay for the next person in line at a drive-in.
A man performs 65 random acts of kindness on his 65th birthday.
An 8-year-old boy opens a lemonade stand to help a neighbor whose house was damaged in a storm.
A competitor carries her injured opponent over the finish line.

The stories are (thankfully) endless.

In a time when bad news often seems to outweigh the good, random acts of kindness can help to shift the balance and make us feel good again about humanity.

The gift can be as simple as a cup of coffee.

Hot coffee warms the soul . . . for the one drinking and for the one who has given an anonymous gift. A little kindness can go a long way.

hands holding coffee and cigarette after a random act of kindness with a suspended coffee

The French version of suspended coffee: café en attente
© Meredith Mullins

If you like the idea of suspended coffee, talk with your local coffee shop and start the coffee flowing.

And, if you’d like an extra random act of kindness, take a look at this video. It’s not coffee-related, but it will sure make you feel good.

If video does not display, watch it here.

Today is International Pay It Forward Day, so visit the Pay It Forward Foundation site to see what you can do.

Comment on this post below, or inspire insight with your own OIC Moment here.

Meredith Mullins 5 Comments

Clever Ideas/Italy/Making a Difference

Apr

Creative Inspiration Springs from “Seeing” Differently

by Meredith Mullins on April 11, 2013

child running after bird provides a way of seeing differently for a blind photographer with creative inspiration

Blind photographer Flo Fox heard birds and footsteps and “clicked.” A perfect fleeting moment.
Jury Award of Merit © Flo Fox

Seeing Is About Much More Than Sight

When OIC Moments asked the question—”Can you see without sight?”—we were vividly reminded that creative inspiration is fed by exploration within and without.

You can feel the warmth of the sun and know which way the shadows will fall.

You can touch a wall and follow its patterns and textures.

You can listen for voices or footsteps or crashing waves and know where something interesting might be happening.

You can just close your eyes and let your imagination lead the way.

The Challenge of Seeing without Sight

Using imagination (and all the senses!), an artist can produce some powerful results.

The highly original work of photographers Bruce Hall and Pete Eckert shown in The Creative Process of Blind Photographers uncovered a different way of seeing, a way of experiencing the world without sight.

To further pursue this creative challenge and the idea of seeing without sight, OIC Moments created the Blind Sight Photography Contest. We invited photographers from around the world to use their senses other than sight to create photographs.

The images we received for the contest proved—inspiringly—that there are many ways to “see.”

shadows on a street show a way of seeing differently for a blind photographer with creative inspiration

Blind photographer William Hiu used the tactile street panels to position himself for the shot.
The perfectly composed shadows were an added bonus.
Jury Award of Merit © William Hiu

The Keys to Artistic Success: Originality, Talent . . . and Luck!

Images came from all over the world, from the United States to Uzbekistan to India.

Some of the entrants were blind or limited in vision, using photography as a way to respond to the world visually or as a way to enhance their partial vision. Some were sighted photographers, who had to discover creative ways to photograph without sight.

All of the artists—and the work—confirm that a good image is the result of really connecting with the subject, whether by instinct, touch, listening, taste, or smell.

And, as any honest photographer will admit, it’s not just talent that drives a good image. There’s always a little bit of luck involved.

The inside of a well provides creative inspiration for seeing differently

The feeling of falling, eyes closed, into a well.
© Pranab Basak

When sight is removed from a visual medium, chance plays a larger role. As does intuition, and the ability to use other senses to anticipate or imagine what will happen.

The best revelation of all: A chance moment is more likely to be captured when your senses are heightened, when you can feel the rhythm of the movement, or when you can anticipate a story unfolding.

hands on stone show a way of seeing differently with "blind" creative inspiration

With the camera in her mouth,
Eleanor captured her uphill struggle in this raw and textured photograph.
Jury Award of Merit © Eleanor Bennett

So Many Ways To See

The artistic approaches in the Blind Sight Contest were as varied as the resulting images.

Some people spun around with eyes closed and decided when to click the shutter. Some placed the camera away from them, so the camera was doing the “seeing,” not them (using self timers or positioning the camera on the ground or holding it overhead so there would be no way to see through the viewfinder).

Some listened . . . for footsteps or animals barking or mewing or rustling in trees in the dark of night.

Some were inspired by the explosion of fireworks or the joy that music can bring.

Some touched the rough bark of a tree and then traced its patterns and form from branches to roots.

Some felt the warmth of the sun through a chandelier so they knew the light would be beautiful on the dangling crystals.

Just as we had hoped, senses were heightened, and imagination and creativity took hold in new ways.

old car at night is creative inspiration for seeing differently

Blind photographer Vitaliy Kim took this photo as part of “One Day,” a project
where a blind photographer and sighted photographer worked together to record their “space.”
Blind Sight Grand Prize Winner
© Vitaliy Kim

Meet the Blind Sight Winners

We’re please to introduce our three winners, selected by the jury from among the top-ten Facebook vote getters.

Congratulations to:

Vitaliy Kim, Grand Prize Winner from Uzbekistan

Serene Ang, Second Prize Winner from Singapore

Betsy van Die, Third Prize Winner from Chicago, Illinois, USA

photographers taking pictures of statues show a way of seeing differently for creative inspiration

Blind Photographer Serene Ang caught statues (and humans!) in this interesting
arrangement of characters interweaving past and present.
Blind Sight Second Prize Winner
© Serene Ang

deserted grill in the woods provides creative inspiration to a photographer seeing differently

Betsy was guided by her husband to a deserted area of the woods and captured this
ominous discarded remnant of civilization.
Blind Sight Third Prize Winner
© Betsy van Die

The Story Continues

OIC Moments is pleased to share a collection of amazing images from the contest in the free Blind Sight eBook. Click the cover to download your free copy:

And, most of all, keep exploring the world (and finding creative inspiration) with all your senses . . . because seeing is about much more than sight.

We thank all the organizations and associations that announced this contest, as well as F-Stop Magazine.

Comment on this post below, or inspire insight with your own OIC Moment here.

Meredith Mullins Comments

The World's Photography

Apr

A Paris Cultural Experience: Auctions by Candle

by Meredith Mullins on April 4, 2013

Lighting of the candle at the Chambres des Notaires auction by the candle, a Paris cultural experience that mixes old with new.

A Melange of Centuries

Many of us have a soft spot for nostalgia. We may admire the work of artisans who make quality long-lasting products with loving hands, or we may marvel at how early cultures invented what was needed to survive and sometimes made their tools so beautiful in design that they became, for us, works of art.

We can appreciate the elements of the past that make us slow down and focus on the simpler things in life.

The Oh, I see revelation, for me, is that the most rewarding moments are when nostalgia can be interwoven with modern life so that we have the best of all worlds. A cultural experience that is lost in time.

Starbucks coffee in the shadow of Notre Dame, a cultural experience that blends the old with the new.

Everyday Life: The Old with the New

In a city like Paris, so richly layered with history, I have memorable time-warped OIC moments everyday, as old and new thread together.

I can walk from my 17th century apartment and look up at the 850-year-old Notre Dame, with a Starbucks latte in hand.

Young man texting in the Arenes de Lutece, a cultural experience that mixes old and new.

I can watch teens texting as they lounge on ancient stone in the Arènes de Lutèce, the amphitheater in the Latin Quarter built in the 1st century AD by the Gallo-Romans for gladiatorial combat.

I can look west from the obelisk at Place de la Concorde toward the Arc de Triomphe and see the skyscrapers of La Défense in the smoggy distance (ugh!).

And, I can go to a real estate auction at the Chambre des Notaires, where the “going once, going twice” rhythm of the auctioneer’s gavel is replaced by . . . who would guess? The lighting of candles.

Chambres des Notaires building, a Paris cultural experience that mixes old and new.

Vente à la Bougie

The “vente à la bougie” (sale by the candle) dates from the 15th century, where waiting for the candle to burn out after each bid was meant to give everyone a fair chance at thoughtful buying.

Today, it remains a charming tradition . . . and adds a certain elegant (and humorous!) quality to the auction.

The auction room is modern, with a huge flat screen that projects photos and details of the buildings, houses, and apartments that are up for sale. Then, on the stage platform, amongst the computers, microphones, and wires, is a silver candle holder and candelabra.

For the “sale by the candle,” a candle is lit at the beginning of the auction. When the bidding seems to be coming to an end for a particular item (that is, when all is quiet), another candle is lit and placed in the candelabra to indicate a call for last bids.

Lighting the first candle at the auction by the candle, a cultural experience that mixes old and new.

If no one bids, a final candle is lit and the auctioneer announces “le dernier feu” or “the last fire.” When this candle goes out, the auctioneer announces “éteint” or “extinguished,” which signals that the bidding is closed for that item.

During this process, the potential landowners and apartment magnates have plenty of time to reflect. Impulse buying is controlled, and buyer’s remorse is almost nonexistent.

Of course, if someone bids again before the last candle goes out, a new candle must be lit. And, if someone bids before that candle goes out, another new candle must be lit. And so on and so on.

The room of anxious bidders learns the true meaning of patience. Drama builds, flames flicker, time passes. And, for those few timeless moments, the room lives in the 15th century.

How long will a cultural experience like this be part of our everyday life? How long can we hold on to these charming vestiges of the past?

Time will tell.

But, sadly, I imagine they will soon be going, going . . . gone.

What remnant from the past will make you sad when it’s gone?

If you’re thinking of going to this auction “by the candle,” visit Chambres des Notaires, and for more information on buying property in France, note the second article in this piece by Adrian Leeds.

Special thanks to Maureen and Christian Anouge and Rayan for their photo assistance.