Resolution: Twelve cups of coffee

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It is no big secret that I am a coffee lover.  Ever since that fateful day in 11th grade when I needed to stay up late for a project and my mother quietly handed me a cup, I have been completely hooked.  I find it’s taste remarkable, and it’s effects magnificent.
Even more than the physical effects (think: ZING!) is the way that something as simple as a cup of coffee can bring people together.  While I admit that most of my coffee consumption is done in a hurried fashion, there are rare and beautiful times when I do get to just sit.  And sip.  And enjoy.
But like heads, when enjoying coffee two are better than one.  The social interactions that take place over a cup are what make it great, as if some mystical powers of truth and connection are grown into each bean, only to be released as it fills a ceramic mug.  Coffee brings people together, be it neighbors, family, friends, or even acquaintances.  
I have specific memories of coffee warming my belly and my heart in my own life, and I’m sure I’m not the only one.  When my husband and I were dating, we frequently stopped at the nearest gas station for 20 oz. of power for our long trips.  My grandparents have made the same brand of coffee their whole lives, using the same amount of scoops, and I think the same mugs.  Even a smell of that stuff whisks me away to playing cards on the flowered tablecloth.  I can only hope to create new memories with my kids someday, when they grow out of the “ew it’s so gross mom how can you drink it?” stage which I’ll never understand because they’ve been living with it their entire lives.
But while I wait for that day, I have decided to come up with a new plan to create connections over a cup of coffee.  You might even go as far as to call it a resolution for the year, albeit a little late in the game.  
Each month this year, I am vowing to meet someone for a cup of coffee.  Or tea or hot chocolate, if that’s how they’re going to play it.  And when it comes to the person involved, I don’t want it to be someone I see or chat with on a regular basis.  I want to find new people to make connections with in my life, whether it be an old friend or potentially a new one.  It can be a peer or a colleague, young or old.  Just someone different.
In this world of social media and screen-time friendships, I have gotten the chance to know so many new people.  Status updates allow me to track their days, and photos offer a peek into what the world looks through their eyes.  But even the most prolific poster can’t smile at me and fill my ears with the sound of their voice.  Even a colleague, whom you may pass each day countless times but never have a chance to stop.  Those are the people I would like to spend my twelve cups with.  Those are the people I want to hear speak and tell me about their lives and share their thoughts and ideas.  And I’m pretty sure that, by the end of this year, I will have figured out the secret of life, solved all of the problems of the world, know exactly how to raise children, have new recipes, and of course, be the proud owner of a full-punched coffee club card everywhere in town.


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