Coffee is to Life

That’s it. The magical elixir of my life. A necessity to begin my day.

That first bold mouthful is like streams of sunshine through my bedroom window, encouraging me to take a deep breath, stretch and get ready to fully experience whatever the day may bring. The satisfaction of a finished draft or the frustration of a stubborn character who refuses to do what I want. As I continue to sip, the rich liquid warms my body, providing a cushion for the chill of bare feet on a cold floor, much like the warmth of friends and family cushions me against cold rejections. I get dressed and a slightly bitter aftertaste reminds me to be aware of the tests and trials in the day ahead, while the smooth reflection of cream confirms that night usually finds me in the safe harbor of home. Before sitting down to write, I inhale the aroma filled with the knowledge that life is made up of moments to savor. As I work and sip, my coffee grows increasingly cooler. The winds of neglect cool most things: work, good intentions, tempers, and friendships. Soon, my cup is empty and the coffee, like most of life’s events, has become a fleeting memory.

Those who know me are aware that a cup of coffee signals the start of my day and a break from my work. I seldom drink coffee when I’m actually working, but when I’m plotting or thinking through an idea, coffee is an essential companion. On Monday mornings (the day I go grocery shopping), the kids ask if I remembered to put coffee on the list. I think they are motivated more from self-preservation than altruism as I can become a little cranky if I haven’t had my coffee.

I usually drink instant coffee rather than the ground variety. First, because I’m impatient and want my coffee when I want it, but there are other, more practical, considerations. In spite of my love affair with this bean-juice, I seldom drink more than three cups a day and no one else in the house drinks coffee.  Making an entire pot of coffee for just myself would be wasteful and I hate the wet, messy coffee-grinds. I used to have a big fancy coffee-maker. Except for holidays, I used it to heat the water and keep it hot. It broke a year ago and haven’t missed it. I do have a French press given to me by some dear friends a few years ago, but save it for special occasions — the draft is completed or a fellow coffee-lover is coming over for a long chat.

Another advantage to making instant coffee is that I can make each cup as strong as I want. As I get older, I notice the caffeine bothers me more, so I make the cups progressively weaker as the afternoon shadows lengthen across the kitchen floor. I can also drink my coffee in whatever flavor I choose. Around Christmas, I really enjoy the peppermint-flavored varieties. The mocha-flavored coffees are a standing favorite, as well. Sometimes, I’ll get adventurous and try a fruit flavor (although I’m staying away from the orange flavors). When I feel particularly indulgent, I’ll choose a flavor like Black Velvet Cognac .

The most important reason for choosing instant coffee for me is that it isn’t. Instant, I mean. It requires boiling at least a cup of water. For me, that’s just enough time to take a break from my writing and re-enter the world around me, if only for an instant.

Live Your Passion

An old office manager used to say, “If you do this, you can’t do that.” What he meant, of course, is that resources (money, time, employees, etc.) are limited and you need to decide the optimal activity for each resource to get the best return on your investment. Economists and project managers with any experience will agree that the best use of resources depends on what your objective is. To put it another way, you need to make up your mind.

I used to think that type of decision-making wasn’t necessary for me; I was the ultimate multi-tasker. I would nurse the baby, study for my degree, and complete the project at work. I only had to sacrifice sleep and a healthy amount of exercise. I’m older and, hopefully, wiser now. I realize that sleep deprivation and a few extra pounds weren’t the only things to suffer. What my office manager of long-ago knew and what I have discovered is that doing more isn’t equivalent with doing your best. Doing your best requires focus, determination, and the passion to dream and be willing to invest your time and energy into that dream. When you live your passion, you get great results.

This isn’t a new idea. In 1987, Marsha Sinetar wrote Do What You Love, The Money Will Follow, discussing how to find the passion in your life and relate it to your work. Basically, when we do what we love, we are better at it and achieve better results. It isn’t difficult to understand why living your passion is the springboard to success. We are generally passionate about things we are interested in and do well. If we devote our time to those things, it then follows that we will do them even better. The better we do something, the more it will attract the interest of those who are also interested.

If living your passion leads to success, how then do we find what we are passionate about? Think about your life for a moment and then answer the following questions:

• What has you jumping out of bed in the morning, eager to start your day?
• What puts a smile on your face?
• What are you willing to give your time to without seeing any material reward?
• What do you do that makes other people sit up and take notice?
• What are you willing to fight for?

For me, the answers revolve around my family (in all things, God and family come first for me) and writing. I can go to bed at 2am after being up with a sick child all night and jump out of bed at 6am eager to get started on the next chapter of my book. I love to talk about my characters and feel energized just thinking about the possibilities in my plot. I write all the time, regardless of whether I’m getting paid for the piece. I write in my journal, on the laptop, here in my blog. I write children’s stories for my kids, essays for future consideration, and thoughtful memoirs for members of my family. Ask any member of my family and they will tell you: if I’m not writing, I’m cranky. I believe in the right to put thoughts and emotions down on paper (college-rule, virtual, or otherwise), regardless of who you are or what others think of it. I feel that sharing ideas through the written word is a high calling and provides a service to both future and past generations. In the words of my partner, writing feeds me. It is my passion.

So, what’s your passion? What has you jumping out of bed in the morning, eager to start the day? Is it your children? Your art? Your flower garden? Find it. Live it. And, when you have a minute, drop a line here and tell me about it.