by Bruce Cook
Note: For non coffee drinkers, feel free to substitute tea or hot chocolate... or whatever works.
It smells sooooo good. But the first sip is often too hot. Then you hit the sweet spot and it is awesome... for a while. It then begins to cool too much. And at that point you either have to throw it down the sink, or modify it to give it new life. You might re-heat it in the microwave, or you might top it up with fresh hot brew. Or even more radically, as my mother so often did in the summer months, you might take the last cold cup in the pot, pour it over ice and add some milk (and maybe a bit of sugar) to make a related but completely new drink. Sometimes it’s really hard to beat an iced coffee - especially one that’s been resurrected from the dregs of your morning brew.
This is life. A new day or project or adventure might smell great, but often it starts out a bit uncomfortable or unnatural or uncertain. Whether entered with enthusiasm or trepidation, the first sip of any experience is rarely when it's best. We know the coffee will get better with each subsequent sip. Likewise we should approach our new projects or adventures (or jobs, or relationships, or games, or fitness programs... or whatever) knowing that the first sip might not be the best, but if we can be patient and persevere, the smooth richness that was teased by the initial aroma is soon to follow.
Any cup of coffee - especially if ordered from an unfamiliar establishment - might taste like dirt. Only if we have faith enough to take the first sip (and maybe a few more) do we have the opportunity to maybe hit that sweet spot. Sometimes we hit it, and sometimes we don’t. Sometimes the coffee just stinks, so we leave the cup half full and move on - to a new day or a new job or a new gameplan. But we don’t stop drinking coffee.
That’s coffee's lesson for life. We all know that every cup isn’t going to taste as good as it smells, but the only way to live is to take a sip. You might need to modify your business plan or re-heat your relationship, but the potential is worth the risk of an occasional bitter swallow. That’s the joy of being a coffee drinker. You know you can always just pour another cup.
Can anyone recommend a decent instant decaf?
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