It is Saturday morning and I have no place to go. Most Saturdays I would be leaving the house about 630am to go along with Ian to a tennis tournament, playing tennis myself, or traveling.
This morning I am sitting in front of the fireplace, with one strand of Christmas lights still draped on the mantel. It is cold outside, with about 6 inches of snow and still falling. Most importantly, I can sit, relax, and enjoy my coffee instead of rushing off to catch a flight or fight traffic.
For me, being able to sit and leisurely enjoy my coffee is a luxury! Since I was a kid, I always associated coffee with relaxing and enjoyment. Most afternoons, my mother and her friends would gather for coffee. It was not the coffee, it was the enjoyment of friendship and talking. No one seemed rushed to go anywhere. My father was a farmer. Many mornings he would meet with other farmers at Webers Restaurant. They would discuss weather, commodity prices, and other issues. But, no one ever seemed rushed.
I did not start drinking coffee until I was about 23. Then, it was only one or two cups in the morning. It was not until a few years later in graduate school that I realized what my parents did many years earlier. I started meeting a fellow student, Amadou from Mali, each Wednesday afternoon in the student union for coffee. We would prepare for a course we had that evening. Other days, I would meet one of my room-mates, Andy Proctor, at our house about 400pm for coffee. He was from the UK, so afternoon coffee or tea was a social event. With both friends, we would sit, talk, and enjoy the coffee before moving on to more “important” things.
Over the years, I have grown to appreciate when I have time to sit and read or talk with someone over a cup of coffee. It is nice not to be in a hurry. When I started my career, I traveled on a frequent basis to Germany. I would often have meetings with colleagues in their office. First question was always, “Kaffee oder Tee?” They would make a call, and a few moments later there would be a knock on the door. Someone would enter with a cart loaded with blue and white china cups, a coffee pot, and an assortment of cookies. Business would stop while we enjoyed the coffee. We would discuss news and family. Then business came next.
So, no plans today other than writing, reading, and having another coffee, in my favorite cup which I have had for 22 years.
Enjoy your Coffee!