Just like every other day, I began today with a caffeine fix to jump-start my morning. Just like every other day, I ordered my usual almond milk latte – extra hot. And just like every other day, the barista asked me if I’d like to take my coffee to go or to stay. Normally, I take my coffee with me and drink it on the go as I run my errands and go about my day. But yesterday morning, I had nowhere to be. I didn’t make any early plans, knowing I’d still be recovering from a turkey-induced hangover, so I decided to sit down, drink my latte there at the coffee shop, and take my time.
While waiting for the barista to make my drink at the counter, I scanned the room and searched for an open table. As I paused and looked around for a place to sit, I also noticed all the people around me:
I saw a group of friends sitting and laughing together, an elderly couple sneaking kisses to one another, a mother playing peek-a-boo with her baby and rocking his stroller, a business man working on his laptop in the corner, a girl with blue highlights in her hair and a tattoo of a star on her wrist writing in a journal, a woman silently reading her book – seemingly holding back tears, and one of the baristas singing and dancing while he was preparing everyone’s coffees.
And in those few brief moments that felt like time had pleasantly frozen for me, I was once again reminded of so many things I’m grateful for – like laughter, friends, family, company, solitude, tears – the power to fight through them and the power to let them fall, self-expression, art, the infinite color blue, the stars, the sky, books, words, silence, music, dance, kisses, the ways that we’re all different, the ways we’re all the same, and the chance to be alive to experience all of these things.
Finally, my coffee was ready. Rather than the usual paper cup with a lid on top I normally take with me to go, the barista served me my coffee in a steaming, open-faced porcelain mug that framed a design she so artfully crafted with its foam. I looked down at my beautifully bare latte, and saw a milky white heart floating there, gazing back at me.
I thanked her with a smile and she thanked me back with a smile.
Before I took my first sip and claimed the open table in the back, I looked down again at my latte that held the universal symbol for love at its center. That’s another thing I’m grateful for: love – whether it’s around us, within us, or between the palms of our hands, staring back at us.
Of course, the hearts in our lattes inevitably fizzle and fade. But even after we leave the coffee shop, we’ve still got the ones beating vivaciously inside of us, giving us beautiful life, to feel the most grateful for.
A belated Happy Thanksgiving to all – and much love,
