Category: A Moment in My Life

A Moment in My Life – Monday, January 25, 2021

Do you ever have one of those mornings where you wake up happy and eager to start your day? You’re on top of the world. You feel invincible. You jot down a long exhaustive list of things you know you could accomplish before bedtime. Then, your morning begins—only to get derailed from the get-go. That’s how yesterday started. I sat down at my MacBook and began writing my Morning Pages when my friend Carol texted asking if I was attending the family forum after the Zoom church service. What family forum? It was announced in the weekly church email that I hadn’t looked at yet. “Avoidance is never a good plan.” “Yes, officer, I realize that now” goes the dialogue in my head. Yeah, sure, I’ll attend the family forum. What choice do I have? If I don’t attend, I don’t know why they called the meeting. Attending the meeting means I may not complete all the tasks on my list. What can I do? Nothing except flow with it. After all, how long could the meeting possibly run?

At the start of the meeting, the moderator announced that it wouldn’t run longer than an hour. Okay, cool, I can sit through an hour on Zoom. A family forum is like coming to the dinner table with questions and concerns, and everything goes. It was a quiet table until fifty-five minutes to the hour when the first real comment hit the table, and the can of worms wiggled onto the table, running over the allotted time. The moderator force ended the meeting at 1:40. I was grateful. We were all starving. 

I threw together a quick rotisserie chicken and kale sandwich, and the phone ran as I bit greedily into my sandwich. It was my sister-in-law who never calls me. Two days ago, she texted saying she’ll call me tomorrow. That was the day before. She didn’t call. I figured she forgot, or most likely, changed her mind. At that moment, my sandwich was the love of my life—nobody got between us. I returned her call afterward, and she had my undivided attention for the next hour. 

Next up, I needed to get my hour walk in before it got too dark. By the time I finished, it was already 4:30 p.m., and I hadn’t touched a single task off my list yet. I wanted to call it a day. After all, there wasn’t much time left. What was the point in beginning anything? The little guys sitting on my shoulders argued the case sending me down the yay and the nay paths. I glanced at the clock and decided to start something and see how much I get done before the timer goes off to make my daily call to my father-in-law at 5:10. I began with soaking the three toilets before I started vacuuming the upstairs. After vacuuming, I cleaned the toilets. I still had time, so I dusted the master bedroom. I even spot treated some stains I saw on the carpet. All before the timer went off. After I chatted with Dad for ten minutes, I decided to continue working until dinner, and I edited a letter. After dinner, I got in a mani before my niece called at 8 p.m. My nails dried and hardened while we talked for 1.5 hours.

It was an extremely satisfying day. I turned in for the night with a big smile on my face and a song in my heart. Had I caved to ‘what’s the point in starting’ like the old me would have done, I would’ve turned in with regret and kicking myself. Instead, I chose my late husband, Mark’s way of working on tasks a little at a time and got it all done. It was a great feeling honoring his memory by doing it his way, and it proved to me that it really works!

A Moment in My Life – Friday, January 22, 2021

“About time.” That’s all I can say once I finally got off the dime to take action. I know that most people wouldn’t have put up with as much as I did, but my motto has always been I won’t replace it unless I have to. That especially goes for my iPhone 6, which I’ve owned for just over five years. I would never have spent the kind of money that I did on this baby. Since I did, I’m not replacing her! I don’t have a contract with some phone vendor to earn me a free phone with their hefty monthly service fees. I paid for my iPhone outright, which means I won’t follow everybody else when they graduate to the next incremental upgrade. 

I remember probably two years into my ownership, and the battery began slipping. During my third year, my cousin, Lena, told me she had her iPhone 6 battery replaced. I attempted to do the same, but my battery was holding >80% charge at that time. To replace the battery, I needed <80%. I wasn’t happy about it, but I made do. What choice did I have?

My battery finally slipped below 80%, but it wasn’t an essential task in the pandemic, so I held off. Somewhere along the way, it dropped down to 72%, where it no longer held a charge longer than half an hour. My phone spent most of the time plugged in charging, escalating this into high priority. 

On Sunday afternoon, I drove to Best Buy in Colma and got into the not-too-long line to enter. Ten minutes later, I stood in the customer service line behind one customer at the window and another in line. Ten minutes later, a rep opened a new window and advanced the line. Five long minutes later, with no movement ahead, the rep stocking beverages next to where I stood in line stopped what he was doing, stood up, turned to me for some reason, and asked, “Can I help you with something?” I told him I needed a phone battery replacement, and he said, “Oh, you need Geek Squad,” and pointed to the department next door. 

I thanked him and joyfully moved over to the Geek Squad Department. I repeated what I needed to the rep standing up. She asked if I had an appointment. I said, “No, I don’t. Do I need one?” and she answered yes. I stared at her before glancing at the two reps seated nearby behind the plexiglass doing nothing. I glanced behind me—nobody in line. There hadn’t been any activity in this department the whole time I stood in the customer service line. Whatever. I accepted the first available appointment for Wednesday at 2 pm.

I arrived at Best Buy at 1:57 for my 2 pm appointment on Wednesday. No line anywhere today. As soon as I arrived at Geek Squad, a rep approached me and began filling in my battery replacement paperwork. It took her 25 minutes. She had me pay and sign the paperwork and said my phone should be ready in four hours. Four hours? It takes that long to replace the battery? Good thing I didn’t buy a do-it-yourself-kit now. 

About four hours later, she called my landline with the ready-to-pick-up notice. I raced right over. I had my phone in hand within five minutes of arrival. On my way out the exit, a rep pulled down the gate to the entrance. Good thing I didn’t dawdle. I was lost without my cell all afternoon. The old battery lasted over five years. Hopefully, the new battery will last as long. It’s so cool. It feels like a brand-new phone since mine is now as good as new.

A Moment in My Life – Thursday, January 21, 2021

Yesterday was my old friend’s birthday. I’ll call her Gretchen. She always seemed like a Gretchen to me. I seesawed before I caved and sent her a “Happy Birthday” text. After I hit send, I kept checking my messages for signs of where I stand with her. It was good that I did because I noticed my text went to her email address, not her cell number. Why did it go to email? Would she get my text? Did she change her number? Did she block me? Do you get an alert if you were blocked? Once I realized this, I resent the greeting to her cell.

An hour later, I got a response back from her, “Thank you, Jeannie!” Wow! She wrote back! She addressed me by name! She added an exclamation mark! My heart raced, and my body wanted to do a happy dance. I refrained from doing a happy dance. I didn’t know what to make of this. A part of me was dancing while the other part was telling me, “Hold on, don’t get ahead of yourself here.” Those are words of wisdom that I need to adhere to. The last thing I wanted to do was to get myself into hot water again.

Gretchen and I have been friends since junior high, but I knew her since grammar school. We became tight and formed a circle with a few others in high school. We both got along super well. It was rare having someone who was like me. She and I were both an open book. Transparency is good to a degree. I learned in my age of wisdom; there is a time to speak and a time to stay quiet. Looking back, I wish I exercised that in this relationship. 

I thought we would be friends until we were little old women, but that plan ended prematurely. Like in any relationship, we didn’t always see eye-to-eye. Over the years, we fought like an old married couple. I called divorce a few times, but we always made up. We were bound to reach the breaking point one day, which happened a week after my last heart attack. She had enough and dumped me. For most people, any tiffs would have been forgiven after a life-or-death incident, but not with Gretchen. 

It hurt—both the rejection and loss of a long-time friend. I have to admit that I was contemplating dumping her, but she beat me to it. It was bittersweet. I didn’t want to break up, but we were toxic for each other. I wanted us to agree to disagree, but she wasn’t in a place ready to do so. I prayed that she would come around, but we needed a lot of space between us in the meantime.

As necessary as this breakup was, I am hopeful that one day we can reunite with a fresh start and become friends again. Fast forward a few months, I sent a group text greeting, but Gretchen left the chat. She wasn’t ready. At that point, she made it clear she wanted nothing to do with me. I admit not having her in my life has been peaceful. I don’t miss the bickering, but I miss my friend and the good times we shared. I am wiser now and will exercise every opportunity to be a better friend if we get a chance to reunite. 

Deep down, I’m hopeful that she will come around and want to be friends again. That’s why I suddenly caved and sent her the “Happy Birthday” text—hoping maybe just maybe. To my surprise, she responded! What does this mean? I don’t know—only time knows the answer to the question—can we be friends again?

A Moment in My Life – Wednesday, January 20, 2021

How long can it last? It could last for as long as it can. Wouldn’t it be nice if something you enjoy could last forever? It sure would be nice, wouldn’t it? Alas, time and time again, I am reminded that nothing lasts forever. There is a time and place for everything. I’ve been a faithful viewer of the daytime talk show, The Talk, for, give or take, about seven years. From Wikipedia: “They discuss the latest headlines, current events, and human-interest stories while engaging in open conversation.” I was drawn to this show because of the dynamics between the cohosts. It had a girlfriend’s coffeetime feel to it, and I was craving that kind of relationship. These ladies spoke their minds with kindness and respect for each other’s views. I respected these ladies because they provided a balance in their responses to each topic. At times, they agreed to disagree in kindness and left me with food for thought. Observing these ladies communicate with each other taught me to be a better girlfriend.

I was never into keeping up with the news, but these ladies kept me entuned with what people were doing and what was going on in the world. The celebrity guests were a bonus, which kept me coming back for more sneak previews and behind-the-scenes scoops from my favorite TV shows and getting to know the celebrity better. They provided spectacular giveaways and neat product promotions at knock-your-socks-off prices. The ladies annually took to a challenge where no one has gone before, like come out in front of the camera with no makeup for that episode’s duration. They challenged themselves against their fears, like Sheryl lying in an enclosed case with snakes for a certain amount of time. They showcased their talents by performing as their favorite singers. I’ve been there with them through their trials and celebrations as they shared their lives openly with us over the years. I cheered them on in their happy moments, rooted them on, supported them, and cried along with them when they were hurting. It felt like I was taking a daily coffee break with my girlfriends. I looked forward to joining my friends every day. I made time for them.

I would always make time for my girlfriends. With that said, there are times when we need to know when to move on. If it is no longer healthy to continue being with someone, then it’s time. Like in any relationship, if it’s no longer the right place to be in, then we need to do something about it. I’m a fixer. I would always strive to fix the relationship to avoid calling it quits. In this case, it is entirely out of my control, and my only recourse is to stay or leave. 

This show has seen many cohosts transition in and out. The dynamics changed. They are no longer following the initial theme. It appears they speak way too freely and openly, which could be a good thing, but in this case, it’s damaging. There is no longer any balancing of views. They don’t seem concerned that they might cause a division among their viewers, and that’s sad. It’s their view or no view. I am not political, and I don’t care for hurting feelings just to be doing it, either. They need to exercise wisdom in knowing when to say or not say something. I see the direction they are going, and that makes me sad. I tried to look beyond the political attacks, but it kept coming. I honestly believe they could share their views without bashing. Once aggression became the theme, I realized that I couldn’t stay any longer. Staying meant I permit them to be hurtful, disrespectful, and inconsiderate towards people who don’t share their views. I hope one day they will gain wisdom to realize this and do damage control before it’s too late, but for me, I had enough with The Talk.

A Moment in My Life – Tuesday, January 19, 2021

Life goes through its seasons like the weather. We never know what it would bring. Like today, it is a beautiful sunny but blustery day. I intensely dislike windy days when they coincide with garbage day. Ugh. What a mess! Basketball stands, recycle and garbage bins knocked down. I have never seen the wind so strong around here that it could blow down the Honey Bucket porta potty that my neighbor rented. We woke up to trash spewed all over the neighborhood. Luckily, this time, my next-door neighbor started using trash bags. Otherwise, that would have been a picnic for the birds. 

Life brings people into our lives, and life moves them along. It never matters what I think or what I want. It just happens when it happens. Months back, a friend shared that she would move from the bay area to Hawaii when she takes early retirement, and before her thought reached fruition, I was already mourning the loss of having her nearby. Last week, a few friends left Facebook because they had enough of the ugly explicit posts by those venting about current events. My heart ached with each loss reminding me that life is no longer as I knew it. I don’t like change. You’d think by now I’d be used to it. I don’t think I ever will. 

I hadn’t sobered from last week’s losses, but life keeps going with or without me. It has a job to do, and it never fails to show up for work. I was looking forward to a peaceful holiday weekend. Before the weekend arrived, I was busy deciding how I would spend this weekend. Would I get productive and address some projects, or would I take a day or two off and enjoy the long weekend? As it turned out, I didn’t have to bother with a decision. On Saturday, I learned of some friends resigning from their jobs and will be moving out of state. I was so not prepared for that news. It turned out that was only the appetizer. The next day, another couple of dear friends also announced their departure plans. Suddenly, my weekend was filled with a new angle of sadness, dread, mixed emotions, and plain mourning for what’s to come. You can imagine what I filled my weekend with, and there aren’t enough words to express everything that I’m feeling. Losing people has never been my strong suit. 

As solemn as this weekend was, it was an eye-opening experience, and I learned a valuable lesson from the recent episodes in my life story. I’m a survivor, and I deal with whatever comes my way. I will meet many people who will come into my world for a season, and at some point, they will move on. Like the Bible says in Ecclesiastes 3, there is a season for everything. I know this, but it took a while to accept that there is a reason why things happen when they do and why people come and go regardless. It’s good to form relationships and grow attached to people. That’s healthy. It becomes unhealthy if we grow so attached to them that we rely on their being here for us, and most likely, we will be disappointed. 

That was me. I counted on certain people being here for me, but in just a couple of years, God has taught me the act of letting go. I wasn’t a good student because I didn’t get the lesson that He was teaching me until now. I have been placing my trust in the wrong places. I was trusting people when I should have been trusting only God. I get it now. It’s not a person that will be here in my time of need, but people. God will place the people in my world at the right times. Just like the knocked down bins, they will get uprighted. God will make sure that that will happen when we need it because He knows everybody needs somebody.

A Moment in My Life – Thursday, January 14, 2021

For some of us, it’s literally like brand spanking new. Like my father-in-law, who suffers from mild dementia and Alzheimer’s, each day is literally brand spanking new for him whether he likes it or not. For the rest of us, we can choose to live each day like it’s brand spanking new because every day is a new morning with a clean slate waiting for us to create a life well-lived. We get the same number of hours and the blessing to decide how to use them. 

Today, in remembrance of my father’s 19th death anniversary, I placed three bouquets, one from each of his daughters, at his gravesite. I have only loving memories of Daddy. I’m sad that he doesn’t get to decide how to spend his day anymore. 

Life is here for a flicker, but many don’t fully understand what that comment means. If they haven’t experienced a loss of some kind, it’s a hard concept to ponder. Being hypersensitive, I’ve understood this comment long before I experienced loss. Yet, not until I faced a second chance to live did I truly understand those words. Like every other human on this earth, I have days when I don’t spend my time well. That’s the beauty of each day. It presents an opportunity to do it right all over again. 

I wake up and do the same routine every day. Wake up, do my stretches, read my devotional, brush my teeth, wash, get myself together, collect my cup of coffee, and head to my writing desk. Same actions, but every day is a different day. If it’s sunny, my heart sings. If it’s gloomy, my heart sinks. I see or hear something on my newsfeed or timeline, in my email or text, and that impacts my attitude, feelings, and thoughts, making my day a brand spanking new one. Our minds, thoughts, and emotions are easily influenced. This revelation is a blessing in so many ways. 

Since my husband’s passing two years ago, I’ve managed to deal with my loss as positively as possible. I have my moments, but I live each day grateful for having had him in my life and grateful to be given a second chance to live my life fully for him and me. Yesterday afternoon I had a moment of weakness. It was surreal that he’s no longer here. It still feels like he’d walk in the door any moment now and say, “Hi, honey, I’m home,” but I choked up, realizing that’s never going to happen again even though it feels so real. The disparity between the actual reality and my reality ached in my core, and I wanted to open my chest and rip out the pain so that I wouldn’t feel it again. That wasn’t realistic, but I could write about it, and I vowed to do just that after my walk while the mood was heavy on my heart. Before I got to that, it was time to call my father-in-law. After the call, the mail arrived, and I retrieved it. As I came in the door, my friend Carol called, and we talked for half an hour before we both took care of dinner. After dinner, I remembered wanting to write, but the mood passed. I was sad that I missed the opportunity to record those feelings while they were fresh, but I was grateful that happy moments replaced the melancholy ones. 

Our minds are impressionable. We don’t have to harbor negative thoughts. We can live every day well if we choose to think positive thoughts and have the right attitude. Every day is a new day, even if we do the same things every day. It’s a brand spanking new day, and what’s old is new again.

A Moment in My Life – Wednesday, January 13, 2021

I feel the isolation from being sheltered in place this week. Is it just me, or is everybody else feeling it, too? I’ve been asking myself, what is it about this week? We’ve been in quarantine for ten months. I’ve managed to make the most of each day and turned negatives into positives, but this week feels harder for some reason. I rely on social media to stay connected with my peeps, but lately, friends seem to post less. I rely on the talking heads on TV programs for connection, inspiration, and updates on current events. My favorite programs either halted production thanks to the new, more contagious strain of Covid-19 wafting through SoCal, or they are still heavily covering the Capitol riots. Neither helps my demeanor.

Nothing is going on. Nobody’s going anywhere or doing anything; therefore, nobody has anything to say. Creating the domino effect of dwindling messaging and forget about the phone calls. Rats. This is simply awful, people! Toxic for a writer seeking inspiration for something, anything at all, to write about. What happened to the days of not so long ago when a friend pops into my day, and suddenly we’re having this brilliant conversation that inspires my day’s column? Oh, I miss you, friend, wherever you are!

It’s a two-way street. I admit I’m not pulling my weight. I go nowhere. I do nothing interesting that I could talk about, but I have a goal of sharing what little I could to help those struggling for a glimmer of positivity that would lift their spirits, even if only for a moment. I know I’m not alone. We’re all on the same boat, is what happened. The good thing about this is that I trust everybody is doing the same thing I am—stay out of trouble and not add to the problem. That’s excellent news and would help.

I am determined to have something positive to show for my day. Considering my limited options, and I wanted something uplifting to end my day with, so badly that I went with this cute little movie on UP TV called Hopeless Romantic. I trusted that this movie would be as far removed from reality as it could be, and I was right. It did not disappoint. It was a fun escape for a couple of hours, and it wasn’t your typical romance. It was an interesting story because you’d think the hopeless romantic would be the female, but in this story, it was the hopeless romantic guy. If nothing else, he had me rooting for him from the get-go. I had to see how it played out. 

The movie began with Matt going all out to set the perfect romantic stage for popping the question to his girlfriend. I mean, the guy is like every girl’s dream. He went all out, starting with a limo, tux, bouquet of red roses, reservation at a fine restaurant, and hiring a violinist. If only it ended with a yes, but then we wouldn’t have a story, would we?

 He sheltered in place for days, endlessly losing himself in romance DVD after DVD until he was inspired to get his life back on track. His game plan followed the romantic storylines in the DVDs he watched, stemming from moving on with his life, getting over his breakup, to winning his girl back. He talked his best friend, Liz, who was getting over a breakup of her own, into being his wingman on this journey. They brave the singles’ scene going to a bar to meet someone, to speed dating, and so on. When one day, his ex realized what a catch he was and wanted to get back together. He was overjoyed that his plan worked. 

He got his ex, whom he couldn’t live without, back, but something was still missing. They tried to make it work. Long story short, through the process of winning back his ex, Matt learned that he had been in love with the idea of “being in love,” which he had mistaken for being in love with his ex. When he did some soul searching, Matt realized he knew nothing about his ex and couldn’t lock down what it was he loved about her. He was definitely in love, but unexpectedly it was with his wingman, aka best friend, Liz, who he could effortlessly describe reason after reason after reason for loving her. Lucky for him, she returned his feelings. Aw, and all is well in my day again. I found something to smile about, which buys me time to solve the mystery of where is everybody?

A Moment in My Life – Tuesday, January 12, 2021

Today, I need a pick me up. Ooh, a tiramisu sounds delightful just about now. Alas, no tiramisu in my neck of the woods. Aw, excellent, the sun just came out. My day is beginning to feel better. It’s so peaceful in my neighborhood. I’m grateful for that. It would be perfect if I could shake this disheartening feeling that clings to me like static. The weight of the world churns in my gut. I turn the other cheek to all things politics. I love my friends. I respect everybody’s view. It breaks my heart when people push their opinions on others. It’s bad enough so much is going on that we can’t control, but respecting each other’s individualism is something we can. It seems every time I look on social media, something else unsettling is happening—too much, too soon. I haven’t gotten over the last episode yet. Just about now, reaching into the freezer for the tub of rocky road ice cream or the fridge for that unfinished piece of chocolate cake sounds plenty fine to me, but I have neither. Thinking about comfort food reminded me about sardines and custard pies. Not that they were, by any means, my comfort foods, but that came to mind, and I happen to have a light-hearted story about them to tell.

When I was a little girl of about eight, my parents took my year older sister with them to the diner that we owned, and they left me home to babysit my one-year-old sister. Don’t let my age fool you. Back in the days, we kids were the sitters. My mother would leave a loaf of white bread and a can of sardines out on the kitchen table for me to make sandwiches for our meals in their absence. After a few days of sardine sandwiches, any craving that I might have had for that menu item vanished for the next couple of decades. 

My sister and I went as far as pretending not to see the loaf of white bread and can of sardines on the table to avoid eating another sardine sandwich. I don’t remember what we ended up eating, but it wasn’t a sardine sandwich. 

Move forward a few decades, a friend invited me to her house for lunch, and she opened a can of sardines to add to her menu. I don’t remember anything about that meal except for the can of sardines. I hadn’t thought of that word, let alone eat sardines since I was a kid. At that time, sardines were still revolting to me. Fast forward another decade or so, I actually bought a can of sardines for a change of pace because I learned they are healthy for us. Who’d thunk it?

My father was a baker during our teen years, which meant leftover cakes and pies, never cookies, came home with Daddy. Mm, chocolate, and white sponge cake rocked my soul, and even though Daddy’s custard pie was to die for, one could only eat it so often. After a while, I couldn’t lay eyes on another custard pie for most of my adult years. About a decade ago, to my surprise, I suddenly had a craving for Daddy’s custard pie, but I had to make do with any old custard pie I could find. It was good enough to satisfy my craving. 

I never thought I’d touch sardines or ever crave custard pie again, but time does change things. I’m a living example of that. I enjoy a slice, not a whole, of custard pie every time I get a craving for it, and I’m a happy camper. This thought made me wonder, wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could restore all that is wrong in the world to when it was right so we could be happy campers like me with my sardines and custard pies?

A Moment in My Life – Monday, January 11, 2021

A smile spread across my face as the sip of freshly brewed coffee filled me with warmth in the cool morning air, warming me from the inside out. I cup my hands around my Hilo Bistro mug, and the warmth tingled on the tips of my fingers and palms of my hands, warming me from the outside in. These little pleasures may seem small but make an effortless difference that can lift your spirits and miraculously make everything okay, if only for a moment.

A cup of coffee doesn’t make your troubles go away. It’s like a good friend who knows you better than you know yourself, who knows the right words you need to hear to redirect your thinking away from what was troubling you long enough for you to refocus your attitude. Life happens. It happens for a reason. It may not be the way we wanted or expected it to be, but it is what it is. Sometimes, there is nothing we can do about it. Worrying about it or being upset by it won’t make any difference in the slightest. 

A good cup of hot coffee is a better friend, who talks sense into you over your heartbreak than a glass of wine, who would only soothe you, letting you believe whatever you want until you forget your hurt when you pass out. 

I sipped my coffee and mulled over, feeling stupid while chastising myself for being naïve in believing the nameless celebrity’s inviting us to text him meant he’d read all his texts himself. I beat myself up for wasting my time composing that long text telling him how much his creative artistry inspired me. I took time and put much thought into that message. The corners of my lips shot upward as I hit send, only to have those corners droop when I immediately received an auto-reply instructing me to add my contact info to his directory. At that moment, my heart sank. I realized that it was an advertising scheme to gather contacts for his promotions. My first thought was my heartfelt message that was meant for his eyes ended up in the abyss, never seen by human eyes. I scolded myself for being way too old to expect such a juvenile outcome from somebody who knows me as a nobody. 

I kept sipping my coffee, and like a true friend, she reminded me that age has no bearing in life situations. We are human with emotions, needs, and desires. There is nothing wrong with that, and there is no shame in any of our feelings. We have personal expectations, and if they aren’t met, we are entitled to feel accordingly. With each sip, she made me stop beating myself up and feeling down. Instead, like the good friend that she is, she reminded me to chin up and that what I don’t know doesn’t necessarily mean things won’t work themselves out in the end. The outcome doesn’t necessarily mean that nobody would read those texts. It was more realistic that eventually, someone would address them, it’s just a matter of time, and my spirits lifted with each sip.  

I might not have any control over my life situations, but I can enjoy a good cup of coffee whenever I want. As I sip, I am comforted with its warmth, and my mind becomes clearer, and things don’t seem so hopeless. What changed? My attitude. A good satisfying coffee puts a smile on my face, warms my soul, lifts my spirit, and gives me a better perspective, which changes my attitude. In these times, when we can’t be with our buddies, a good cup of coffee is the next best thing to a good friend.