Go Get Coffee

My day and my week get outlined first thing Sunday morning.  Prior to retiring, that brought a very peaceful start to my week as I packed my black nylon zippered pouch and tablet onto the front seat and headed off to the nearest Brew HaHa.  At a price acceptable to me, really more for renting space at one of their tables for 45 minutes than for the coffee, I would get mostly a porcelain mug of dark roast, on occasion Huckleberry Creme instead, remove my pens, markers and pad, using the quiet time to collect my thoughts or follow my semi-annual outline to what might constitute a gratifying week and a productive Sunday off from work.

Retirement brought a commitment to creating My Space at home.  Mission accomplished after a few months.  Ever since, my first destination after tooth brushing has been my desk, with its customized lights and more writing implements than I can possibly use.  My zippered pouch sits at eye level to my left and gets used on most days, though I keep a set of colored pens, markers and pads to my right as well.  Transitioning away from the Brew HaHa on Sunday morning was not abrupt, but by the time Covid-19 suspended their operations, I had pretty much made my Keurig K-cup machine the source of daily coffee, including Sundays.   I've not been to a coffee shop at all since the pandemic, don't really miss what I did there though a late weekday morning at Starbucks became an escape to tote my laptop and write an article or blog entry away from the distractions of home.  Planning gets done at my desk in My Space.

As serious infection risk has eased, the shops are again opening.  Earlier this week, late morning, I decided to visit one for the first time since the pandemic.  Brew HaHa, Starbucks, Einsteins all straddle the same corner, as does Dunkin Donuts which gives a less Bohemian opportunity.  I drove around, ready to stop, then as I was driving, I thought of something I wanted to do instead and drove back home.  Saved about $2.50.

If I really wanted to resume the quiet of a usually paper cup of coffee made by the pros I could, but as my aborted quest indicated, what I could do at home has greater allure than what I can do at one of their tables.  I have distractions at home, but have gotten into routines of when to drink coffee, what kind, and what to do while I am drinking it.  Eventually I will resume Covid-19 restricted day or overnight trips and that morning of quiet coffee with my pad and multicolored pens will return, though very temporarily.  My current practice of me time with my planning tools and a porcelain mug of k-cup coffee seems the preferable option to those 45 weekly minutes at the Brew HaHa.