Cuppa Joe

So, I love coffee.  I didn't always.  I actually used to despise coffee.  Then one day I moved near some old friends.  One of these friends loved coffee dearly and he would make coffee every time I came to visit.  He would answer the door when I knocked and say, "No pressure, you don't have to if you don't want to, but I made some coffee!"  He might as well have been offering me a million dollars in his eyes.  I couldn't say no.  So the first couple of visits I chocked down the coffee, then before I knew it, when he offered me coffee I was every bit as excited about it as he was!  Now I love it just for the taste, I don't need it, I just really want it.

I say I don't need it, but there are some days when I really do just need a cup of coffee.  Regular and black.  This past Sunday was one of those days.  I woke up to go to church and I was dead on my feet.  I just didn't sleep well the night before.  I decided not to make any at home since there would be plenty at church and it would only be a bit.  I ended up falling asleep several times that morning before church.  I finally drug myself out the door and into the car.  I stumble (literally) into the church and my pastor starts bombarding me with questions that I just don't care about at this stage in the day, all I can think about is getting to the kitchen.  I finally get away from him (since he was interpreting my lack of focus as dislike for what he was saying) and make it into the church kitchen.  The glorious pot stands before me, I swear a halo appears around it, I approach, and just before I grab the handle one of the ladies of the church utters the most horrible words I have ever heard, "It's decaf, we're out of regular." 

I can't tell you how much I just wanted to cry.  Seriously.  I felt stupid, but I could feel the tears welling up in my eyes.  So, I poured myself an cup of decaf hoping to glean any residual caffein from the black muck that now stood in my styrofoam container.  One taste and I knew it was a fruitless endeavor.  And once again I felt the overwhelming desire to cry.  I didn't, but nor did I accomplish much in teaching Sunday school, and church was an enormous struggle to stay awake.

I got home and had a small lunch and went to sleep.  I awoke feeling even worse.  I just didn't want to move, but I had to, I had a rehearsal for an in class scene in less than an hour.  Then it hit me...I had instant coffee in my fridge.  Not my preferred coffee, but it would do.  I struggled to make the coffee.  But the first sip and I knew everything was going to be alright.  

I got up this morning and did my normal routine.  Filled the coffee pot with water, scooped out the coffee, pushed the on button and prepared my cereal.  I sat down and ate a couple spoon fulls of cereal then took a sip of coffee.  I felt like crying again.  It was so good.  So much better than the instant.  I just sat and relished it a while.  When I finally got back to my cereal it was soggy.  But I was ok with it, I had my coffee and life was good.