Coffee Date | Fall 2024
If you and I had coffee …
We’d meet at this cute little café downtown where the vibe is atmospheric and chill. The morning is quite warm but there’s a blustery wind welcoming the first day of November and we both need something cozy to get us in the mood. When we walk into the coffee shop, there are little pumpkins and twinkle lights on the butcher block countertop, giving the place a rustic feel — just what we need. I’d order an Earl Grey tea latte because I love the bergamot notes in autumn and we choose a booth in front of the glass picture windows looking out at the lively street corner.
If you and I had coffee …
I’d comment on how it’s been so long since we last met and ask how your life has been. I’d want to know how your family is doing and if you have any plans for the holiday season that you’re looking forward to. I’d share that it’ll be a quiet season for me, as it’s been the last few years. In the past, I have been front and center on holiday gatherings with my large family, doing most of the planning and cooking, but I’ve pulled back from the chaos recently, opting for the slow-paced time with Frank. Less stress and noise to overwhelm my highly-sensitive brain.
I’d confess that while I do love my family, the large gatherings, often with upwards of twenty-five people in attendance, have meant too much time recuperating afterward to make them enjoyable. Additionally, I’ve found that as my siblings and I have gotten older, we’ve grown apart. Perhaps this is because most of them are now parents and their lives have taken them onto a path I’ll never walk. We don’t have much in common anymore. The shared familial bond doesn’t stretch as far when nothing is there to keep it taught. This topic has me pondering the idea of a chosen family more.
If you and I had coffee …
I’d ask how your mental health is and confide that this time of year always makes me feel more introspective and melancholy. My soul is very aware and affected by the changing seasons and weather patterns, and autumn awakens the darker parts of my spirit. At first, it might sound like I’m giving off major witchy vibes but I think I notice the dying off and hibernation of the green world around me, and as the leaves turn brown and crunchy, so does my mood.
All that to say that, in November, I often slip into a depression. I’m not worried because, in the last few years, it hasn’t been too consequential. Normally, I just feel somber and pensive, sometimes a little too caught up in my head, listening to emo music and pouting in front of my laptop, bleeding my feelings onto a page. Hopefully, this pays off in some interesting essays or poetry to share. If not, I have my trusty journal at the ready to work through whatever feelings arise.
If you and I had coffee …
I’d ask if you’ve voted yet and if you are feeling the election tension in your circles because I sure am. I am stressed about the outcome of next Tuesday’s poll but hoping for the best. There is so much to lose and yet so many people who are determined to continue to live in a reality television show than pay attention to what is happening around them. This is all I can say for now. For now, I’m rewatching The West Wing for the eight-hundredth time and crossing my fingers.
If you and I had coffee …
We’d reminisce about the old days when we had coffee dates each month and how simple life seemed then. I’d tell you that I have missed that and think we need to make this habit a more frequent one. We’d finish the last of our warm beverages and slip on our sunglasses now that the sun has overpowered the dark clouds of the morning, then we’d step out onto the busy street. I’d hug you and promise that we’ll see each other again soon. Until then, friend.
