77 Wars

my brother, russell wrote this recently…

Have you ever slowed down enough to watch yourself make your morning cup of coffee?

I had the opportunity when I was sitting in an MD-80 Jet bound for Spokane, Washington. I was listening to a mixed CD I picked up in Sedona, AZ at a Thai Restaurant, of all places, from our waiter by day DJ by night.

I was listening and enjoying my quiet mind time between two strangers sharing my row. The attendant placed the cup in front of me…nothing new…coffee, 2 sugars, 2 creamers and a stirrer. It was in the moment when I reached for the cup that I noticed my hand and everything else slowed down. I watched my hand slowly grab the cup and as I tilted it back to look in, my eyes were pulled into the steaming black gold, gleaming and holding my face in its reflection. I reached for one of the creamers and pulled back the foil lid gently and slowly poured the creamy white dominator into the center of my cup. Swirling, the creamer’s pattern; before my eyes I watched the coffee quickly lose its beautiful brown significance. Now I could have employed more patience, taking this experience to the next level, in ripping open my two packets of sugar…but I didn’t…since I enjoy far more the experience of the tandem tearing of the two packets, simultaneously at the ready to sweeten my grail of morning power. As I poured the sugar I watched the creamy gold fold over and over the tiny diving grains of delight.

I pulled back the second lid of cream…now this can be an optional addition…but in this moment I could not pass up on the experience. This time round the cream rested a bit on the top of the cream laden coffee creating psychedelic swirls that slowly disappeared into the creamy brown sea. My grail was almost complete, ready for me to enjoy. All that was left was to insert my stirrer and counter clockwise work my soldier of equality until I felt assured that the taste would be perfect. Oh and it was! Hot, smooth aromatic; could this be had from a cup of Seattle’s best on a plane poured from a happy steward? It was on this day in May, high above in the friendly skies in seat 27B. mmmmmm!