Java The Hutt

This title really makes no sense, other than the fact that I want to write about COFFEE. Plus, I needed a catchy title that might even lure some young Padawans into my blog-fold. Lately, I am obsessed with java. I love it’s smell. I wake up craving it. I go to bed excited for my morning cup-o-Joe. I think I’m addicted to this intoxicating drug.

I didn’t start drinking coffee until I was 54 years old. I always loved the smell but hated the taste. So bitter and vile. In med school, I would go study in coffee houses just to smell the aroma. I loved the feeling of being in a coffee house. What is it about stepping into a coffee house that suddenly transforms you into this calm, cerebral, evolved human? I feel like George Jetson, finally escaping that fast paced treadmill, screaming, “Jane, stop this crazy thing!” (ref. a 1960’s futuristic cartoon, for you young padawans) Even opening the door fills me with anticipation that I am giving myself a gift. I’m giving myself permission to slow down and savor. In this insanely fast paced demanding world, there still exists a place where you can just sit and think, sit and stare, sit and people watch, sit and talk, or just sit and bond with your Mac…it’s a heavenly safe haven to just…be.

Whether you are savoring that first morning sip ( insert : “tea” here for you Dark Siders) or stepping into that zen-like coffee shop, it all heralds the beginning of a new day. A fresh start. A “ do-over”. What if, with every morning sip, one thing in my life could change. What would it be? What would be your do-over?  A regret, a goal never met, a path never followed? Isn’t there just something about caffeine that gives you a waft of introspection. From your nose to your olfactory bulbs to your brain, it’s instant chemical warfare that entices you to think…What if?

Would I banish my M.S.? Would I stop self-shaming? Would I start treating my body better? Would I feed my soul more? Would I look outward more often? Would I hug a bit longer? Would I make better eye contact and listen more intently? Would I have still become a doctor? Would I have taken the road less traveled? Would I have heeded my parent’s sage advice? If I were granted a do-over, what would it be?

Every day, we make decisions that forge our paths. Some are wrong for us and right for those around us. Some are right for us and horribly wrong for those around us. And hopefully, we learn from our mistakes. Maybe that’s the key to evolving into a better self. Not repeating our same patterns, our mistakes or missteps.  In fact, perhaps that’s our chance for a do-over. Luckily, life is full of things we can change, despite the overflowing bucket full of things we can never change. So maybe that’s the wisdom I get from my morning “buzz”. Reflecting on my past but savoring the present. Less regret and more intent.

But, until I wake up, my do-over is going to be my second cup…Aaaaaa yes…Carpe diem!