Tag Archive | coffee shop

Being grateful is best

 

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At the coffee shop

Sitting in the sun

Watching normal people doing normal things

Chatting with friends

Having their croissants with coffee

Me, I’m feeling good relatively speaking

I’m at the coffee shop, aren’t I?

I wonder when I’ll be back to normal

Normal energy levels

Normal days 

It will be a while

So, I have to make the best of it for now

Who knows what kinds of issues

The people at the table next to me are dealing with

I could look very normal to them

But I know better myself

This is a process I have to go through 

One day at a time

I can’t have my eyes on the end

That’s too long from now

I’ve got to be my best self 

Whatever that is now

Do what I can

Rest when I can’t 

Accept things as they are

Be thankful for the treatment I’m getting

In a beautiful hospital

With competent specialists

It’s always best to be grateful

It leads to a better outcome 

 

October 28th, 2022

Nine days after first chemo treatment 

Covid and I

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The worst part of Covid after the symptoms 

Which were actually tolerable

Was being stuck at home

I’m not a home body

I need to go out and be among people

I could not even go grocery shopping

We ordered groceries on line

I didn’t feel strong enough to go for walks as I usually do

Days were monotonous

Ibuprofen 

Oil of oregano

Cold FX

Teas

Oranges

Anything that would boost my immune system

Became my best friend

And yet, the virus has its own schedule

It can’t be rushed out

So, today I have come to the coffee shop

For some semblance of normalcy

To see people

Chit chat about the weather 

Write

And go into my bubble of solitude and contemplation

So that a change of scenery 

Can make me forget the fatigue I experienced

And the long hours I slept

Et voila!

I do feel better now!

April 25th, 2022

Back again

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I’m at one of my favourite places, the coffee shop

Where I read and write and have time to myself

The place where I recharge my batteries

Things are not the same as before

We still wear masks

We still sanitize 

And now we show our covid passports

But we can have coffee with friends now

The conversation is lively at the tables next to me

Whereas a few months ago I may be one of the two people staying for coffee

Everyone seemed to take coffee to go

I don’t come to the coffee shop as often as before though

Albert has been working from home, and we have our morning coffee together

I try to write at home

But there are always distractions

The coffee shop allows me to focus 

And stay in my own world as long as I need

No one interrupts me

The door bell does not ring

No one asks me questions and derail the train of my thought

I need this solitude to write

I’m grateful for another visit to the coffee shop 

November 3rd, 2021

Continue reading

Me time

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What do I do when I want to relax?
What do I do to get away from it all?
What do I do for me time?
The answer is simple: I write

Sometimes what I write is interesting
Other times, not so much
The purpose is not always
Creating a work of art
It’s emptying my cup

There is a calm that comes over me
When I write
I can’t explain it
Don’t know why
But that writing is one of my favourite things
There is no doubt
Give me a pen and paper
And a writing spot
Preferably in a coffee shop
And I’ll be happy and satisfied

Why expressing myself
Brings me joy, I don’t know
Why do I have this need to write
I don’t know
All I know is that writing gives me life
Refreshes my soul and cheers my heart

April 21st, 2018

Prompt

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Two people speaking at the table next to me
In French
The faint sound of music playing in the background
The sound of dishes, clanking against each other
Chattering away
The sound of the chair being pulled on the ground
Groaning as if in pain

Other voices
Other people talking
My notebook
My pen with the statue of the Martini Tower hanging from it

The hum of conversation is oddly calming
There are people around me
But they don’t demand my attention
The music is lovely
Not too loud

I sit next to the large window
With my coffee
And a copy of Imaginative Writing
From which I got a writing prompt
And started writing

January 10th, 2018
Premiere Moisson

Solitary lives

At the coffee shop
We stare at our phones
One person per table
Conversation only over the phone
Two people talking
Not so much any more!

Each person interacts with a phone
Or a laptop
We’re not looking each other in the eye

We’re living isolated lives
Where is the community
Where is the warmth?

Blank stares on our faces
Smiles are rare
We are social beings
Not loners

We should sit in a group
Laugh and talk
Share experiences
Spread the love

Solitary lives are sad ones
We need each other to survive
We have taken independence too far
We need to rely on each other to thrive…

Lida Berghuis
July 19th, 2015