Five years ago by this time of day, I would have been drinking my third cup of coffee...attending my second or third meeting...reading my 300th email...today my schedule is more relaxed...more forgiving...there is greater time for appreciation...of life and experiences...of surroundings...of family and friends...in many ways, it is the antithesis of my life then...
What changed? Today I work only when I want to...for as long as I want to...as often as I want to...I like to contrast my life then and now by comparing the experience of buying a cup of coffee...
In the United States, you get in your car...rush to the nearest coffee spot...stand in line awaiting your turn...order whatever coffee you want, identifying its size and style by some faintly foreign-sounding name...give your own name to ensure you get the right order...pay with a credit card, debit card, gift card you have adroitly produced from your wallet...wait for your order in a crowd of other people waiting for theirs...doctor the result to suit your personal taste, hurrying to free up space for the others waiting behind you to do the same...eventually retreat to your car after realizing that all of the seats are taken where you might instead stop for one moment and enjoy your purchase...
Coffee at Cafe Tupiña, Bordeaux, France
This is wholly unlike Bordeaux, France where you walk to the nearest sidewalk cafe...sit at a lovely outdoor table...order a coffee...sit and wait for it to be served to you...and when it arrives, beautifully presented, a check is discretely slipped onto the tabletop...it is clear there is no need to rush...no pressure to move on...the coffee is served with a small piece of flour-less chocolate cake...a carefully arranged meringue provides just the right amount of sweetness...you notice people walking along the avenue next to the river...sip your coffee...appreciate your life and experiences...your surroundings...your family and friends...