Coffee Shop Chronicles - Volume one

Do you have your most awakening thoughts as soon as a good cup of coffee hits your lips? Same. There is something about that magic sip with just the right amount of foam to coffee ratio, sweet and bold, at the same time, that makes me say "Mmmmmm" and close my eyes to soak up the moment with my other senses. I'm not sure if it's the caffeine itself or the ritual of sitting quietly with a warm mug every morning that is just so damn satisfying it clears my brain fog instantly.

In the mornings, I have my most hopeful, free-spirited ideas. It's when I feel reborn again after a long day of hustle and energy-sucking conflict resolution. While some people come alive late at night, I prefer to sleep and recover for the early hours when I shine most brightly.

The pandemic taught some of us to work from home, where we had unlimited access to caffeine, a plethora of music options, and comfy clothes to create just the right vibe for productivity. On the days when the walls seemed to cave in on us and we craved human interaction, there was the local coffee shop. Beckoning with its far better coffee options than we could produce at home, delicious pastries, a hipster playlist, and a seat right next to an outlet where we could listen to other humans speak and spark up a conversation if we wanted.

Finding the coffee shop that speaks most to your soul for writer's block takes trial and error. Not too loud, but not too quiet, where it feels like you might as well be in your tiny apartment. Tables spaced just far enough apart to keep from feeling like you must have caught covid from the guy whose coffee breath you could smell from your seat. Bonus points if they have a cereal milk latte on the menu.

Today, I'm swinging in coffee heaven from a downtown Orlando spot that meets all my criteria and then some. And when I say swinging, I literally mean swinging in one of the several cushioned chairs that hang from the ceiling, along with an eclectic mix of wild plants I'm too scared to touch for fear they might be fake and thus the fantasy ruined. This chair gave me so much inspo that I have already made plans that may or may not be too ridiculous to attempt. But mostly, today, I am feeling thankful to be alive, healthy, cancer-free, and sharing my thoughts with you. ;)