The Coffee That Completed The Circle Of Life

I am extremely fond of the calming solitude of the dawn. I usually wake up looking forward to my morning routine which includes some stretching exercises, reading some motivational works and a meditation session of five minutes. I can focus only for five minutes at present, but I am thinking of gradually increasing the time to meditate. 

But the other day, something happened that made me realize that there is something more amazing than the silence of the morning, and that is the excited chatter of a boy in his not-yet-a-teen phase. The kid woke up early that day and asked me to assist in his studies. While I am a huge fan of silent mornings, there is something very magical about the energy of a teen in the early morning. For someone who gradually accepted and embraced contentment and peace, the kid's excitement and vigor felt like a refreshing change. It brought hope - of possibilities coming to life, and making dreams come true.

I usually prepare the decoction for filter coffee in the morning. As I poured the hot water over the coffee powder in the filter, the kid walked into the kitchen and inhaled deeply. "I love the smell of coffee.", he said happily. "Do you remember the coffee shop that used to be there in the lane where we lived on rent? That shopkeeper would roast coffee beans and grind them. I used to love going to that shop." He said wistfully.

I smiled thinking about not just the said coffee shop from his childhood, but one from my childhood too - a shop where I would wait patiently while the shopkeeper ground coffee beans to prepare filter coffee powder. The shop also used to sell books and there was one called Gokulam, a fortnightly magazine for kids. I would purchase the same and start reading, all the while inhaling the invigorating aroma of coffee powder. 

From me reminiscing about the coffee shop of my childhood, to the kid reminiscing about the coffee shop of his childhood, life indeed has come to a full circle!