See See Motor Coffee Co, 10:45 AM
I approach her because I'm attracted to her.
"Excuse me."
She turns her head, smiles, and takes her earbuds out.
"I'm going to ask you to do something a bit unusual... Will you make eye contact with me for 60 seconds?"
Without missing a beat she consents with an enthusiastic "sure."
I sit down across from her.
"When I start the timer: no looking away, no talking."
"Can I blink?"
"Yes, you can blink and breathe."
"I'm ready when you are," she says as she takes a sip of coffee.
*beep*
Shortly after we start she sits back in her chair with her hands in her lap. This draws my awareness to how forward my posture is. I focus on deep, steady breathing. Halfway through she adjusts her hair. I feel like I get into the zone with her, where my brain turns off, the voice quiets, and I'm wordlessly perceiving her. During our session she takes two sips of coffee.
*beep*
I say something about next time asking my participant to not drink coffee. Not sure if I will actually do that, or how important it is.
I give her a card and introduce myself. Her name is Jarin.
"May I use your name and photograph on my blog where I'm writing about my experiences?"
Again she says "sure" with no hesitation.
"Any questions before I disappear?"
"Nope. That was interesting."
"I'm glad you think so. I enjoyed making eye contact with you."
I stand up to leave.
"Have a lovely day. May it be filled with surprises."