10 December. We have a lot of shit. A lot. I am so very grateful the apartment is finally empty. And that the cleaners were late because I had a quiet contemplative moment remembering and being thankful for a perfect three years. Although I simply cannot grasp it’s been three years. How did that happen?
10 November. I am grateful for that ahhh moment. For the smell, the taste, the warmth, the caffeine hit, the blend, the barista, whatever. It just works for me. Especially on a Saturday morning.
I needed to feed my soul today. I am grateful I have the perfect place to do just that. And friends who feel exactly the same way. Who understand how it takes my breath away. Every time.
I am grateful I am not alone in my complete adoration of good coffee. I loved reading this today, it was exactly as I felt. Sometimes just for that moment coffee is everything. It is as if there is nothing else.
There is very little I need in my world that isn’t chocolate. Unless it’s coffee. And love of course. Which coffee and chocolate actually are fine examples of even if only due to the caffeine and increased serotonin levels respectively. Whatever. Chocolate is my happy pill. But apparently the Australian taste in chocolate is very different to the South African. We like a creamier, less sweet, more swiss like flavour. Lindt is good, but not thick enough. Not for Jem and I anyway. Jem is particularly true to her taste. She simply refuses any. Kate and I are a little less discerning. Or maybe just too hedonistic to ever refuse. Anyway, tonight I am grateful so very grateful we discovered Aldi’s chocolate. Made in Austria. Creamy, thick, melt in your mouth, not so sweet or watery, robust, full of love. I am grateful that tonight, for a moment, we were all happy. And full of love.
There is a marked difference to my visit back to South Africa this year. Now I am grateful to say that most places know what a flat white is. I no longer have to order a latte in a cup not a glass with a double shot of espresso sort of thing, or a cappuccino but without the foam or sprinkles. And today Sandi and I went to The Old Biscuit Mill in Woodstock and I am grateful for the best cup of coffee I have had here to date. From a little company that only does flat whites. Perhaps this is still home after all.
4 April. I woke to a glorious sunrise, coffee on the patio overlooking the vlaktes, with only the turtle doves for company. I knew it was going to be a good day. This afternoon I got my all over body PET scan results. My final results. I was told I am well, very very well. I loved and am grateful for the look of joy on my oncologist’s face. Roll on 5 years.
I am grateful that at this stage of my life I have been blessed to meet a lifetime friend. We are all supposed to count ourselves lucky if at the end of our lifetime we can consider ourselves to have had three true friends. True friends. Friends no matter what. Friends who last the distance. “One friend in a lifetime is much; two are many; three are hardly possible”. I know Arienne will be one of them. I love that we are so different yet so alike. She is so supremely private and it appears I am not. She is so much better than me at knowing when to say no to more. I love more. But the two things I value above all else in relationships, trust and respect, we have. We have pissed each other off in the past, and we will in the future, because thats just life. But we can talk about it and we can laugh about it. She celebrates my good times, and shares my bad times. She shares my life. As do I hers. I know there is nothing too much to ask of her. Or to share with her. And I know she knows that too. I love that I see her most days, yet we still can find something to debate and discuss. At length. And always over a cup of coffee. Or a glass of wine. Or more.
I love coffee. I love the taste, I love the aroma, I love the feel of the takeaway cup in my hand, I love love the coffee moment. I love coffee. And I am so grateful that I do because it makes a blah day better. So much better.
Today I am grateful for a smile. From Sandy. The beautiful calm presence that makes my coffee most mornings. No matter how grumpy I am, she always lifts me with her smile. And no matter how grumpy she might be, she always has time for a smile. And she always greets me by my name. And she makes my coffee exactly how I like it. Without me having to say a word.
grace and dignity 