Coffee Date | Fall 2017
If you and I had coffee...
We'd meet up on my back deck because it still feels like summer outside and the trees have only just started to change from their greens to the rich goldens, crimsons, and oranges of fall. I'd kick my feet up on the wrought iron glider and sip on my frozen PSL - the ONLY one I will have this year. I'd tell you that I've never been a big fan of the trendy drinks at Starbucks but I grant myself one treat a year.
If you and I had coffee...
I'd tell you that I've done a major purge of my digital life over the last few weeks and that I deleted more than ten apps from my phone. These were things I was no longer using or didn't bring me joy and I haven't missed them once since they've been gone. I'd tell you that I did replace these with two new meditation apps, Headspace and Calm and I'm so happy I did. There is no better time than the holidays to learn how to quiet your mind and find a little peace in your world.
If you and I had coffee...
I'd ask you what your favorite Halloween treat is. I'd tell you that I love candy corn even though it is purely high fructose corn syrup and that I have to limit myself to just a few. I'd also tell you that I have a nostalgic favorite that reminds me of going trick-or-treating in my grandparents' neighborhood when I was a kid. In addition to the residents giving out candy, the little town center also did an event and there was a Chinese food place that always gave away those little honey sesame candies and those are my ultimate favorite.
If you and I had coffee...
I'd tell you that I've been struggling with rejection lately - in both my professional and personal life - and it stinks. I'd tell you how tough it is becoming for me to put my heart out there, knowing it might get stomped on if the endeavor doesn't end up like I hoped. I'd ask how you deal with rejection and how you are able to keep pushing forward even when the fear of being turned away seems to be lurking around every corner. It is so difficult to keep a smile on my face when I feel like I'm not wanted, either in a relationship or a job opportunity or a group of friends and I find myself pulling away from everyone and everything.
If you and I had coffee...
I'd tell you that these recent events have forced me to deal with some unresolved emotions about relationships and the feeling of abandonment. You never know that you have some hangups about this type of thing until it smacks you in the face and oh, how it did. I spent some time working through this problem years ago when I was meeting with a counselor on a weekly basis, yet it continues to haunt me and beg for a little more work, so that's what I'm doing now. I read this article from Rikki Louise originally wrote on Thought Catalog and related to it so much that I had to share it with you. I'd tell you that I think my main problem is that I am too trusting in new relationships and that I give my heart away too easily. It doesn't sound like a bad problem to have but I definitely need to work on my vetting skills before finding myself in another situation that will hurt me.
If you and I had coffee...
I'd tell you that I'm in the process of writing my first children's book. It's something I've always wanted to do and it's on my bucket list so I'm checking that off before the year ends. I'm beginning to think about the process of searching for illustrators for this project and there are quite a few whose work I adore but I'm not sure which direction I want to go to set the tone for this particular story. I'd ask you if there is something that is on your bucket list that you can accomplish before the year is done and then I'd encourage you to go for it. There is no time like the present to tackle a goal. :)
If you and I had coffee...
I'd tell you that there have been two words on my heart recently. "Say yes." Too often in my life, I've said "no" for so many reasons. Sometimes I've been afraid to step out of my comfort zone or of being vulnerable. Or it's because I've been selfish and don't want to give freely of myself. I'd tell you that the universe has been nudging me to open up to new opportunities and say "yes" to them and even though I'm a little anxious about what I'll get myself into, I am letting go and trusting what I can't control.
If you and I had coffee...
I'd ask you how you decide when it's time to tell your hard stories or whether to tell them at all. I'm struggling with the idea of sharing mine and how to go about them without making them out to be self-indulgent or seem like a cry for attention. I'd tell you that I have words trapped inside me that I know could be encouraging to others but I'm both afraid and hesitant to share because I'd be opening myself up to criticism and judgment and those are scary things.
If you and I had coffee...
We'd sip the last of our drinks and savor the unseasonably warm weather. I'd end our date with a hug and a promise to plan another one soon. Then I'd laugh and ask you how on earth it could be Thanksgiving next month - especially since it feels like we are still in July!
