I think I was born to be a writer. I love coffee. I love the aroma. I love the flavor. I love to hold my coffee mug up close to my face with both hands and feel its warmth.
From what I see on social media, writers love coffee. Maybe it’s because it’s so evocative, like good writing is. Coffee is an experience for all the senses.
I love the way coffee has become an art form—the blended coffee drinks—hot and cold, the variety of beans, the fancy coffee makers, the special tools. The way a person takes their coffee is an expression of self. Most of all, I love that coffee gives me something to look forward to in the morning. I don’t know what tomorrow will bring, but I do know this: it will bring coffee.
I generally only drink a cup or two in the mornings. Sometimes, as I’m falling asleep, I take pleasure in the fact that, when I wake up, I will be able to drink coffee. I tick off on a mental checklist whether I have everything I need to make coffee. I think about which cup I will use—my favorite used to be a tall, narrow, tangerine-colored, ceramic mug which reminded me of Tuscany. Unfortunately, I broke that mug. My current favorite is my Cal Poly San Luis Obispo mug, pictured below. I love the shape and the feel of it.
I am in good company. Nightdreaming about coffee and coffee mugs used to be a guilty secret, until I read a magazine interview with Sarah Jessica Parker and learned that she and her husband, Matthew Broderick, do the same thing. Oh, how truly wonderful it must be to lie in bed at night with a fellow coffee lover and engage in sweet pillow talk about the next day’s coffee. Now that is romantic.
Coffee inspires and motivates me. I once came up with an idea for a music production company after drinking way too much coffee one morning. My friend and business partner said, and I quote, “I love it when you drink too much coffee in the morning!”
Weekends are the best. During the week, I used to take my coffee black, like my mother and father before me. Straight up. Nowadays, I add French vanilla nutpods or almond milk. But on weekends, I have “Saturday Coffee.” It’s part of the terms and conditions of my employment contract with myself. I usually wake up early on Saturday mornings to write. As a reward for making it through the week, I forget all the rules about calories and caffeine overload and treat myself to the good stuff—maybe something cinnamony, or a cappucino from Kraken down the street, or a Black and White Mocha from Nautical Bean. (Confession: I sometimes indulge in Kraken Wednesdays, too.)
Happy Thursday, and I hope you treat yourself to some Saturday Coffee in just two sleeps—you’ve earned it!