I’m standing at my computer in our apartment. There’s a mug of coffee to the left of me, on a piece of paper. Every morning, it goes something like this: Empty tea pot. Fill with clean water. Put on stove. Turn knob to HIGH. Empty out french press. Pour coffee beans in grinder. Grind beans. Look inside. Grind beans down further. Pour ground coffee into french press. Hear tea pot whistle. Turn off stove top. Pour hot water into press. Grab a spoon & swirl coffee around. Throw spoon in sink. Walk away for a while. Come back to french press. Look around for spoon. Realize spoon is in sink. Open drawer and grab another spoon. Stir coffee. Press coffee down. Pour into mug. Pour in almond milk. One dash cinnamon. A few drops vanilla extract. A teaspoon of honey. Stir with yet another spoon.
Every morning, that is what goes into making my cup (or three cups) of coffee. I can do all of these tasks while I’m still half asleep. When you break it down though, it seems like such a complex task. It’s amazing how something as small and trivial as making a cup of coffee really is something that is intricate and requires so many steps. We take it for granted, all of these little things in our lives: Waking up. Putting on clothes. Buying groceries. Working out. Cooking and eating. Washing clothes. Walking. Getting into a car. Taking money out of the bank.
It hit me today. It hit me how these trivial things that we consider so… miniscule, so unimportant… some people cannot or will not ever do these things. Some are too poor to know what coffee tastes like, or what having money in the bank feels like. Some will never be able to use their legs to run on a treadmill or, even to walk from the bedroom to the kitchen. Alex and I joked that the people we met in Asheville, NC were all adult babies, but what about the real adult babies? What about those that need help to do even small tasks? What if the steps required to make my cup of coffee were downright impossible for them?
It humbled me today, to think of how fortunate I am. How incredible rich I am. How incredibly healthy I am. I woke up this morning, kissed my husband goodbye, ate breakfast, worked out, showered, washed the floor, cooked, and am now sitting at my laptop, drinking coffee. When in my life am I ever going to get this opportunity again? Who else could not work for a month and still be living off reserves and living on their feet? Who else could spend the day cooking, grocery shopping, and reading in a coffee shop? I often am afraid or complain that I am jobless, that I am directionless. However, I need to make sure that I am constantly seeing how incredibly Blessed I am that I am okay in this situation- I’m not starving, I’m not terminally ill, I’m not alone. And every day, I see this.
In the same way, I don’t want to take advantage of my current position. I know how good I have it, and want to work hard for these things that I receive that I don’t deserve. I want to work hard and make a name for myself. I want to receive a paycheck again. I want to learn and contribute to society and make my husband & family proud. And all the more, bring God glory in all I do. I realize that grumbling and being self-centered isn’t doing that (I’ve started nearly every sentence in this paragraph with the subject “I”).
I’ll continue to meditate on these things and realize to not boast or crumble in my position, but use it to better myself and others. To make the most of every situation, and never take anything for granted.
And now, back to my cup of coffee that is ‘half-full’.
