More Than A Cup

Each morning we rely on each other, the coffee pot and I.

Possibly like so much else in my life, I follow a pattern set early in life. I cannot remember a morning when I did not awake to the aroma of coffee perking joyfully in the large kitchen on 58th Street. My Mother was not an early riser, and never an advocate of breakfast.

Dad eagerly accepted that responsibility and until the day I left the household had a fragrant cup of hot coffee waiting for me each morning.

Now It is my responsibility to keep the trusted coffee pot ready for my own daily adventures.

I organize everything before retiring. The table is set, for one these solitary days. The menu always identical, one egg, one slice of nitrate free bacon ready to pop into the microwave, and a lone banana, ready to be sliced.

Since my personal alert factor runs low until the mandatory cup of coffee is consumed, I rely on preparation the night before.

This morning all went well until the liquid from the trusted Keurig seemed pale as I stood by awaiting its customary nectar. Looking even more closely I realized it was pristine, white, and I had failed in my preparation.

I had neglected to insert the pod, the coffee beans efficiently wrapped, today’s so called improvement on yesteryear’s individual nuggets of ambrosia.

It wasn’t a great beginning for my day. The eggs were cold, and the bacon limp by the time the cup of black coffee was ready.

Still another valuable lesson was learned. I don’t determine my small world. All the efficient preparation I pride myself on is merely a mirage. Despite all the trivial organization I strive to achieve, I am still merely in Andrew Greeley’s words, “Cosmic fluff.”

Today’s unexpected annoyance was far more than an inconvenience, but a much needed and valuable reminder of humility. Also, possibly a realization of how little I truly control as I continue walking on life’s constantly surprising and wonderful journey.

Rather than merely a cup of hot water, my coffee pot provided more of a wake up call than any stimulating mug of caffeine could have.